Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: 'Til The End Of The World
by Raphiniert
Summary: ["I'm on the slope of a snowy mountain in the middle of the night, caught in a blizzard, buried half underneath the snow!" Coughing heavily, he continued: "This day can't get any better…"] Raphi's introduction to the Pokémon world is none too pleasant: After transforming into a Leafeon and losing his memory, he quickly realises that this world is far more dangerous than he thought.
1. Chapter 1: Waking Up

**~=~ DISCLAIMER ~=~**

 _'Pokémon'_ and _'Pokémon Mystery Dungeon'_ belong to Nintendo.

* * *

"Agh! It hurts, IT HURTS! Make it stop!"

Raphi squinted his eyes as hard as he could. Another scream escaped his throat as the rest of his bones broke one at a time, slowly reforming themselves. He spit out a fluid which he presumed was his own blood.

 _Wh-Wha-at i-i-isss-s ha-appennnn-in-ng t-to m-mme?!_

All of his fingers and toes painfully merged together, forming paws. Light brown fur started to sprout everywhere, covering his whole body. His eyes burned infernally while every part of it began shifting and reconstructing. His teeth splintered and rearranged themselves, causing massive internal bleedings in the process.

His clothes ripped and faded into nothingness when his agony grew once again, reaching his ears. The ear cartilage on both sides was torn apart und newly divided.

He screamed on top of his aching lungs until they and other vital organs collapsed inside of him, reconstructing themselves and suffocating his anguishing screech.

Yet another twinge struck his body, causing him to finally black out.

…

"Wh-Where… Where am I?" Raphi stammered, batting his eyelids.

The pain was gone, replaced by an overwhelming cold.

"No wonder." he mumbled and shuddered. "I'm on the slope of a snowy mountain in the middle of the night, caught in a blizzard, buried half underneath the snow!" Coughing heavily, he continued: "This day can't get any better…"

Still exhausted and freezing, he started to faint again, barely seeing the silhouette of somebody coming right his way.

…

Gasping for air, Raphi awoke, feeling much better, but still a little weak nonetheless.

Carefully examining his surroundings, he checked for danger, but found none. To his surprise, he lay in a cave covered in a warm blanket, with a fire near him. Furthermore, a hole in the ground near the fire held some drinking water in it.

"I see you're finally awake. How are you doing?" a voice said behind Raphi. He quickly turned around, only to see his own confusion in the eyes of a Glaceon in front of him.

 _What the …? A Glaceon? B-but I can understand it and…_ His thoughts were interrupted by the Ice Pokémon.

"I must say, it is extremely rare to find a Leafeon in this area..." She examined Raphi while smiling curiously.

"I um- WAIT WHAT?! LEAFEON?!" He anxiously looked down, discovering a pair of paws. Terrified, he sprinted to the drinking water, ignoring the worried looking Glaceon. _Please don't be real, please don't be real, PLEASE DON'T BE REAL!_

Raphi froze at his own reflection, his mouth completely dry, his eyes spread wide open in shock. No longer was he a young man with curly hair. Instead, a horrified Leafeon stared back at him. When he tilted his head slightly and raised one paw, the Pokémon in the water followed every move without delay.

"I… I r-really am a… Leafeon…" the former human stammered.

"Of course you are, why wouldn't you be?" questioned the Glaceon, entering the reflection to his left. "Are you alright?" she asked with a worried gaze.

"N-No… This can't be! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" He shed a tear into the water, disrupting the reflection. "I am supposed to be a human, not a Pokémon!" the Leafeon cried, stomping on the ground with his right front paw out of anger and confusion. _Oh god… What...?! N-No, why?! HOW?! I-I think I'm having a mental breakdown!  
_ Raphi grasped his head and breathed heavily. To his surprise, he felt a stinging pain and instantly pulled back his paws to examine the cause. _OUCH! W-Wait, are these… claws? Oh no, why is this all happening?! This whole situation… it can't be real! I'm not supposed to be like this! I AM A HUMAN AND NOT A POKÉMON!_  
After a few minutes passed, he finally calmed down and partially accepted the truth. Swallowing his anxiety, he turned to face the Glaceon.

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Oh, where are my manners: I'm Raphi… the Leafeon, apparently."

Not showing any sign of fear, the Glaceon looked him in the eyes. "Nice to meet you Raphi! I'm Glaceon, but you can call me Glace for short. You said, you were a human before? Then why do you look like a Pokémon?"

"That's just it. I have no idea how and why I got turned into one. All I can remember is my name and personality. I woke up in the middle of the mountains, that's all I know. Believe me or not, but I'm telling the truth." answered the Grass Pokémon.

"Actually, I do believe you" said Glace without hesitating and chuckled. "The reaction to your mirror image was real, no doubt." Her vision turned more serious. "You were truly scared when you discovered it. When I found you, you were unconscious and completely covered in snow, only your head was looking out. I was wondering how anybody could get lost this far into the mountain…"

"Oh, so you were the silhouette I saw before blacking out! – I was wondering how I got here, but that explains it. Thank you very much for saving me, I probably would've been frozen to death by now!" Out of habit he wanted to stretch out his hand, but remembered that it wasn't possible anymore, so Raphi went with a smile instead. "I fear I don't have anything of value to show my gratitude though."

"Oh don't worry about it, saving Pokémon is my job. You were lucky I was on my way back from an expedition." Before Raphi could ask what exactly her job consisted of, she continued: "I'm part of a guild that specialises in rescuing Pokémon in danger and helping those in need. Oh yeah, before it slips my mind, I found this near you!"

She walked to the spot where Raphi woke up and picked up two torn halves of a scarf with her mouth and dropped one piece in front of him.

"I suppose this was your accessory as a human? Do you mind if I keep the other half? I think it would look great on me!" said Glace, expecting an answer.

The scarf was a mixture of olive green, red and grey colours and slightly ripped at both ends.

"No, of course not, keep it! I suppose it was mine, though I can't recall it." he said, inexpertly putting the piece of fabric around his neck.

"Great, thanks!" Enthusiastically (and with much more elegance) she donned her half of the scarf. "Anyway, what are you going to do now?"

"I knew this question would come." Raphi stared on the ground and paused for a second. "Since I don't have any memory of the events that caused all this mess, I don't have a clue on what to look out for. The world is big, the solution to this problem could be anywhere. Without a hint, it is basically hopeless. It would be reasonable to just accept my fate and live a life amongst Pokémon until I die."

Glace listened in silence to his words. She wanted to build him up, yet she couldn't think of the right words. Her eyes started to glisten with tears at the depressing situation.

"However," Her ears rose when she heard his strong voice. She looked him directly in the eyes, which were full of determination. "Like I said, I recall my name AND my personality. As a result, I know my characteristics. And one of my defining traits, one of my greatest strengths - is my determination. If I've set myself a goal, I'll try everything to achieve it! With every little step, I'll come closer to the finish line, no matter what! I am going to find out why I am here and how I'll get back to where I came from, even if I have to travel to the end of the world - and NOTHING is going to stop me!"


	2. Chapter 2: At The Guild

Glace was impressed by his will power. Although the situation basically seemed hopeless, he still didn't want to give up.

"You know what, Raphi? I want to help you find the answer to these questions! I'll go with you on your journey, wherever it may take us!" she said with determination sparkling in her eyes. "That is, of course, if you want me to…"

Leafeon's expression was both surprised and delighted. "Wait, really? I would certainly benefit from someone who knows this world better than me – plus, a companion to talk to is always nice! I do have one question though: Why do you want to travel with me? We've just met, and you already want to aid me in my quest. Why is that?"

"First of all, it is my job to help Pokémon – and I'm sure you'll need any assistance you can get. Moreover, I've always strived to explore the landscapes outside of this area, the different Pokémon and the mysteries of this world, yet it never was the right time." _And you seem nice too_. she thought.  
"My guild won't have a problem with me leaving for a while. I know how to watch out for myself and I've led many expeditions in the past. Nevertheless, we should speak with the guild master, Abomasnow. I need to inform him about your condition too."  
Glace stopped for a moment, finishing her thought process. "Why don't you join my guild? Think about it: We don't know where to start anyway, so we might find clues during one of our missions – we don't even need to accept them at the guild, they are posted in every town. Furthermore, we can meet many new Pokémon on our journey, you get an explorer bag and you're allowed to eat and sleep at the guild every day and night!"

"You have a good point… Okay, I'll do it!" _But I'll rather avoid too much social interaction…_

"Great, then come with me!" Glace smiled - obviously happy about his choice - and walked through the curtain of leaves at the cave's entrance. He then followed her outside.

The area was nothing like he'd expected it: It was located on the side of a mountain. The ground was partially covered in snow with pale yellow grass lurking out in a few spaces. The plants consisted mostly of pine- and maple trees, with the occasional bush. Given the season, many leaves already changed colour to yellow, red and orange. It was snowing slightly, with a few raindrops in between them, causing Raphi to shiver and fluff up his beige fur.

He spotted other caves under many escarpments, inhabited by other Pokémon such as Delibird, Snorunt, Timburr, Phantump and Buizel. Most of them eyed him curiously, like he was some kind of phenomenon. _Apparently, word got out about Glaceon's brave rescue of a Leafeon in the middle of nowhere._ Raphi thought, knitting his brows.

She led him to the biggest cave which was surrounded by two giant pine trees. The guild master must've heard their steps, because a voice was coming from the inside saying "Come in."

This den was furnished more like a meeting hall, with a wooden podium in the back and hay covering the ground on the sides to leave room for a passage in the middle. Abomasnow stood in front of said podium, a Beartic behind him. As the two Eveelutions walked up to them, the guild master started talking: "Hello Glaceon! Welcome, Leafeon! I see you've finally woken up! I am Abomasnow, the guild master, and this" - he stepped aside – "is Beartic, second-in-command." The corresponding Pokémon nodded.

Abomasnow continued: "We're happy that you are alright. We were a little worried, especially Glaceon. You should have seen her, she stayed up all night keeping an eye on you!" the big Pokémon chuckled.

"Oh, it was nothing… I just wanted to make sure the fire wouldn't go out…" she responded, blushing.

She avoided Raphi's gaze. _Does she feel something special for me?_ His thoughts were interrupted by the guild master.

"But Leafeon, tell me: What were you doing on that slope? It is impossible to get lost this far into the mountains… Or was it some kind of bet you had going on?" questioned Abomasnow, gazing at him like a father whose child just broke a rule.

"Actually, I have no idea. I woke up in the middle of a blizzard without any memory of past events." he answered, purposely leaving out the part about his former human identity and his real name.

"So you have amnesia… That's bad. What are you going to do now?"

Before Raphi could respond, Glace explained their plan to the authorities.

"So you want to become a member of our guild, take on missions with Glaceon and find out how you got here. Hmm… I am in favour of that plan. Glaceon is more than capable of watching out for herself. But Leafeon, be careful. You barely outlasted that blizzard, and if it wasn't for Glaceon, you would be dead by now. Though I must say, it is quite impressive for a grass-type Pokémon to survive such a heavy snowstorm. Anyhow, here is your explorer badge and a bag, already filled with some Oran Berries."

He handed Raphi the items before proceeding.

"Glaceon probably mentioned it before, but I'll say it again: You can eat and sleep at the guild for free. You can accept missions either here or in town, but you must show your guild badges in order to access higher ranked tasks. The only way to rank up is here at the guild. You start off with the bronze rank because your teammate Glaceon is experienced enough to have it. If Beartic and I think you've got what it takes to become a silver-ranked team, you can get your new badges from us. If we have something to announce – or when it's mealtime -, we'll always do it here in the guild hall. Only when it's warm and sunny, we'll eat outside at the tree stumps behind this cave, That about wraps it up: you two can tell us your team name once you've chosen one, but you can already go on missions. Have fun and watch out for yourselves!" Abomasnow concluded, nodding to show they're dismissed.

Raphi followed Glace outside, giggling at the conversation behind him between the guild master and Beartic. "Abomasnow, you can't eat the rest of the Oran Berries, they are for new explorers only! At least give me some of them!"

"Raphi?" Glace drew his attention by nudging him. "Where do you want to go know? I suggest we go to Snowlake Village. The missions are different in every place, so we might find one for beginners there since at the moment most assignments here are for advanced Pokémon only."

"Agreed." He was excited to finally move out, but a little nervous nonetheless. "Lead the way!"

Slowly adjusting to walking on four legs, he followed Glace through the bushes, neither of them noticing the shady figure in the cover of the pine-tree above them who was eavesdropping on the team through the whole conversation in the guild hall. _I found him._


	3. Chapter 3: A Foe From The Past

"Grass and Ice?" Raphi asked.

"It doesn't sound that cool." Glace shook her head. "How about 'Identical Footprints'?"

"No, too mediocre. Maybe 'Special Attack And The Best Defense'?"

"Not everybody would get the joke. 'The Pokémon That Evolved Through Rocks'?"

"It's… um-"

"Don't answer that!" The Ice Pokémon giggled. "We're never going to find a name for our team like this… Yet we could simply call ourselves 'The Jokers', if you know what I'm saying!"

Squinting his eyes, Raphi could not help but laugh hearty. Since he was distracted, his unanswered questions moved to the back of his mind and he enjoyed the time with his new friend rather than pondering about how and why he got here.

They just ate a few of Abomasnow's Oran Berries – which Raphi thought tasted a lot better as a Pokémon – and were now continuing on their way to Snowlake Village, still unaware of the mysterious figure following them in the shadows.

"I was wondering what your attacks consisted of, inasmuch you got to this world yesterday." Glace asked.

"Honestly, I never really thought of that. I suppose I will know them out of instinct once I enter a battle though."

They unexpectedly heard a scratchy voice coming from the trees above them: "Right on cue! You'll find out sooner than you think!"

"…Let's just pretend we never heard anything…" Raphi whispered anxiously with bated breath. "Isn't the weather nice today Glace? The drizzling rain is really pleasant too, don't you think?"

The figure apparently grew tired of hiding, because it suddenly jumped out of his cover in front of the team, blocking their path. It was a Weavile, a dark-ice-type. He stood upright, his sharp claws perfectly on display. Two pointed fangs poked out of the left corner of his mouth. The red crown on his head made him look even bigger. His red eyes were filled with persistence and the devious grin on his face indicated that he was up to no good. "I agree with you, the weather IS great today! It is perfect for hunting you!"

"No need to rush it, we come in peace!" Raphi tried to find a bloodless solution while Glace was standing next to him being totally confused.

"That's too bad, I don't!" The Weavile started laughing menacingly.

He realised it was pointless to reason with the Pokémon, so Leafeon used a more aggressive tone: "What do you want from us? We don't even know you! And, if you'd excuse us, we would like to continue on our journey!"

"Oh, so you don't remember me? I guess it kind of makes sense… Still, you're not getting past me Raphi!" Weavile took a step forward.

The Grass Pokémon was frightened and speechless. Not only did the aggressor recognise him, but he also seemed to possess knowledge of his past. _He- he knows me? Does he have something to do with me coming to this world? Then who is he and what's his business with me?_

His thoughts were immediately interrupted by Weavile's battle cry who quickly leaped forward.

 _This is it - my first battle as a Pokémon. And my first opponent already has the type advantage!_ Raphi realised it was too late for him to avoid the attack, so he braced himself for the impact.

Weavile's right claw froze, surrounded by a cold aura as he prepared himself to use Ice Punch. He struck out his arm as he jumped and then landed a brutal blow on Leafeon, causing him to fling backwards and smash into a tree. The brown bark split at the impact and stung the hurt Pokémon through his fur, causing to gasp for air. His vision turned red and blurry, but thanks to Leafeon's natural high defense, he managed to get up again after the super effective hit.

He shook his head to see more clearly and took a deep breath. _Ouch,_ _that was very painful! If I want to survive this fight, I'll need a good strategy quickly!_

Glace watched the whole scenario in horror. She had no idea who that Pokémon was or what he wanted from her friend, but it was clear he was the enemy and had to be stopped!

"Well, that was easier than I thought. You aren't that strong after all… What a pity!" he said, taunting his foe, slowly strutting towards him to finish him off.

However, his triumph was short lived as Glace rammed into him, knocking him off his feet to the side. "Don't. You. DARE! Before you hurt him anymore, you'll first have to get past ME!" she shouted and formed a blue orb made out of water in front of her mouth, firing the Water Pulse at her opponent.

 _Now is my chance! Let's see…_ Still feeling a little numb, he examined the area carefully. The path to Snowlake Village was made of sand and led down the mountain. The rest of the ground was covered in grass, with the occasional spot of snow. Pine-trees dominated the landscape, grey stones from a past rock slide were scattered amidst them.

A few meters in front of him, his friend Glace and Weavile fought together, ignoring him for the moment. Weavile evaded most attacks with ease, but Glaceon kept her tail up and continued to pile on the pressure by alternating between Ice Beam, Water Pulse and Ice Fang. Eventually, she reached her physical limits and the steadiness of her assaults decreased.

 _I need to do something, but what? If I don't intervene, she'll be done for it! And I would never forgive myself if that would happen… I'm not strong enough to really damage him, and escaping on foot is no option since he is much faster than both of us! What to do…?!_ He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to come up with a solution. _Wait, that's it!_

"Why do you care that much for him? You don't even know him!" Amongst every sentence, he clawed the dug in Glaceon using Night Slash, which caused his claws to expand and glow in a scary purple colour. "Why didn't you walk away when you had the chance? Now I'll have to end you too!" He hauled off with his right hand to strike the final blow.

"Hey, paper shredder! I'm over here!"

When he turned his head, Raphi was already in the air. Weavile's eyes opened in surprise as a combination of Quick- and Sand Attack hit him across the face. The swirled sand got into his eyes, blinding him for the moment.

"Glace, are you okay? Do you think you're strong enough to freeze the path in front of us?!" he asked in a hurry and supported her stand with his shoulder.

She coughed and stuttered: "Yeah, I'm up to it. But... why-"

"Just do it, trust me!" he shouted and tackled the confused Weavile again who was still trying to get the sand out of his burning eyes.

She did as she was told: the track was now covered in a broad, thick layer of slippery ice. "Oh, I see where this is going!" She smiled as she caught on to his cunning plan.

"Ladies first!" Raphi waited for her to get onto the self-made slide and then followed immediately her. "Just keep using Ice Beam and we should be out of here in no time!"

The slant of the mountain allowed them to accelerate quickly, and in order to not fall off in the turns, they used their claws to steer.

"Don't think this fight is over!" Weavile grumbled as they turned around a corner und got out of sight. His eyes appeared in an even darker shade of red with his blood vessels being very visible from the pollution. "I'll get you for this Raphi!" He spat on the ground and jumped on Glaceon's slide, deftly following the duo.


	4. Chapter 4: Downhill

"I think we left him behind!" Raphi stammered. The spot where his shoulder hit the tree had stopped bleeding, but it still hurt nevertheless. He ignored the stinging pain and rather concentrated on the icy slide and Glace in front of him, trying not to crash into her. _I hope she's alright…_

She seemed to have a hard time to constantly keep up the Ice Beam, yet she didn't let on about it.

The path continued to lead down the mountain, a profound abyss on the left and an escarpment with many boulders and a few trees on the right.

"At this rate, we'll arrive in Snowlake Village in no time!" He grinned, being very content of his dazzling escape plan. However, his confidence shattered into little pieces when he looked back.

Weavile was hot on their trail with a wicked expression on his face. He caught up to them using the claws on his feet like ice skates. "You won't get away this time!" The smug undertone in his voice was gone – it was replaced by a caw of pure hate instead.

Raphi thought about the situation while Weavile was coming closer. If they stopped, the dark-ice-type would have the upper hand again due to his incredible speed and the battle would be over instantly. If they would sustain their current tactic, he would catch up to them eventually. There was only one option: Raphi had to fight Weavile on the slide and finish him off before they reached the bottom of the mountain.

"Glace, just ignore everything that's going on behind you! And please try to form the slide more like a half pipe so I don't have to worry about steering!" He shouted and turned to face his opponent.

"Do you really think you're strong enough to defeat ME?! Either way, you'll soon find out!" He raised his arms, his claws glowing light blue.

To avoid the X-Scissor, Raphi tried to leap backwards. Instead, he slipped and fell on his nose, evading the attack in the process nonetheless. _Shoot! That was way too close! I didn't account for that – I'll have to consider the curve radius too… But it's hard to see what's behind me without eyes on my back!_

"I pity you. There you are, approximately two days into this world and already losing to your first opponent. And I thought you were special… I guess you can't be right all the time!" His voice switched to a darker and more serious tone: "This fight was over before it began. Surrender now and I'll make it quick and painless. I might even spare your new friend! What do you say?" He grinned victoriously with his hands on his hips.

Raphi's eyes slowly filled with tears. His plan failed, Glace was starting to reach her limits and - worst of all - there was no way of escape. _Is this really the end for me? If I don't sacrifice myself, I could endanger Glace more and more – and she already did everything she could to help me… But this is exactly what he wants me to do! And I won't let that happen!  
_ "No!" _Glace told me that she can watch out for herself._ _As for me…_ He stared his adversary directly into his eyes. "…I'll never give up, no matter what! And I'll show you just how much determination I have in store!" He gritted his teeth and buried his front claws in the ground on both sides of the slide, slowing him down rapidly.

Weavile yelped in surprise as he decelerated and tried not to slither into Leafeon.

Due to the enemy's confusion and the shorter distance between them, Raphi was able to use the situation to his advantage and unleashed a devastating Quick Attack with his right paw that hit Weavile across the face, imprinting a scar on him. _You didn't think I'd recycle my previous tactic, didn't you?!_ Raphi thought as the dirt on his claws got into Weavile's eyes once again, causing him to rub them furiously and fall on his back.

"Y- You will pay for this! Just you wait!" he screamed in pain. His speed decreased steadily as he lashed about in every direction, hitting the surrounding terrain every now and then.

"I don't think so." He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for his opponent, who slowly but surely slithered further away from them, desperately trying to clean his swollen eyes. _I have to do something to keep him from following us, but I don't want to kill him or anything…_

Raphi collected his thoughts, quickly coming to a conclusion. _There is one attack I haven't used yet!_

The question mark-shaped leaf on his forehead began to glow in a lush green colour. He felt a mysterious energy flow through his whole body as he prepared his attack. _The power of a Pokémon is awesome! I could do this all day!  
_ He aimed at one of the giant rocks on the escarpments and fired a salvo of razor-sharp leaves at it. The impact loosened the ground under the boulder, inducing a rock slide that trembled the earth.

"Yes! It worked!" His delighted expression turned into regret as soon as the boulder struck another obstacle and then hit Weavile directly instead of simply blocking the path in front of him. He got smashed to the side and fell down the precipice. _No, that wasn't supposed to happen!_ he screamed internally.

"I'll get you for this, and if it's the last thing I do!" he screamed on top of his lungs before he disappeared in the treetops beneath him.

Raphi had no time to think about him when suddenly his ride came to an abrupt halt as he collided with his unconscious friend. Their victory had been none too soon: Being too tired to stand, Glace had collapsed and fainted, ending the icy slide.

 _No wonder she's tired, maintaining an Ice Beam this long must be energy-sapping!_ He looked anxiously at the sky: sundown was already over and the moon arose.  
 _I better hurry to get her to a safer place, because I'm pretty sure the trees softened Weavile's fall and he probably heard that we were talking about Snowlake Village, so it wouldn't be wise to head into this direction… The woods are the best option for now!_

He looked at his friend on the ground and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here." Raphi crawled underneath her stomach and positioned her carefully on his back. He stood up slowly, staggering from the weight and his own fatigue.

With Glace resting on his spine, Raphi collected his remaining strength and walked resolutely towards the gloomy forest.


	5. Chapter 5: Red Eyes

"Ouch!"

Weavile wiped away the pine needles and inspected himself. His torso was covered in bruises inflicted by the rock slide. A scar was visible on his left cheek, with blood still dripping from it onto the branches he was on top of.

"He will pay for what he did to me!" Weavile grunted and jumped down. Being too tired for a precise landing, he tripped upon the impact and fell on his nose.

"Damned! How could he have outsmarted me?!" he shouted angrily and kicked a nearby tree, immediately regretting his actions as a stinging pain flowed through his foot.

 _He is going to ruin everything if I don't stop him! Once he recovers his memory, he will foil the plan for sure! It… It would be the end of our marvelous world! All of our hopes and dreams… shattered…_

He gritted his teeth and wiped away the dust in his eyes.

 _This is why I have to stop him. The very idea of Raphi succeeding..._ He shook his head to clear his thoughts and picked up a small rock. _But I won't let this happen! I'll do everything in my power to stop him, even if it means losing my life!_

To let out his anger, he threw the stone as far as he could into the woods. _I hope I'm up to the challenge…_

To his shock, Weavile heard someone shout furiously after the impact: "HEY! Which dumbass is shying rocks?! … No answer? Very well then! Those damn kids…" The Pokémon grumbled and made its way through the bushes, but Weavile had already fled out of sight.

… … …

Glace batted her eyelids.

The rising sun shimmered through the leaves above her, warming her fur. A moderate breeze waft through the area, making her shiver slightly.

"Wh- where am I?" she mumbled examining her surroundings precisely.

The leaves were part of a bush that protected her from getting totally wet during the course of the night. Every now and then, small drops of rainwater ran down the branches and dropped to the ground - one of them hit Glaceon's nose and caused her to sneeze.

Even though the rain had continued throughout the night, her coat was moderately dry. She turned her head and saw that Raphi – who was sleeping nearby – had used his leaf-alike tail as a blanket to keep her warm. _Did he carry me all the way up to this point?_

She pushed it aside carefully and got up, yawning and stretching her limbs. After investigating her own bruises, she inspected Leafeon. The wound on his shoulder was partially covered by a scab and healing well. When Glace looked at his face, she recognised that he was wincing, breathing heavily and squinting his eyes. Alarmed by the sight, she rapidly jolted him.

"Raphi! Raphi! Wake up!"

…

In his dream, Raphi was standing on a metal floor, floating in an empty, purple space. Pieces of machinery were scattered on the floor. Glass shards of all shapes and sizes were frozen in the air, reflecting the scenery to all sides. And he stood in the centre of the chaos.

But he wasn't alone.

A few silhouettes surrounded him, every single one of them congealed in the moment. His full attention however was drawn to something behind the whole mess. The only thing he could perceive were the creature's piercing red eyes.

He couldn't avert its gaze.

He couldn't back down.

He couldn't hide.

Yet it didn't do anything else.

It just stared at him, judging, thinking.

Raphi started hearing distorted voices, coming from both everywhere and nowhere. They were calling his name and screaming desperately for help.

Still being unable to avoid the creature's glance, he eventually worked up the courage to shout at it with a raspy voice: "What do you want from me?! Who are you?! Why is this all happening to me?!"

His questions remained unanswered, echoing through the endless void.

The sounds were getting louder, hurting his sensitive ears. And in the blink of an eye, everything faded into nothingness as he woke up.

…

"I said, WAKE UP!"

A slap in the face finally awakened him. Raphi gasped for air. His entire body was sweating and the horror he experienced was still visible in his eyes.

Glace looked at him, worried about his condition. "Did you have a nightmare?" _It must have been a nasty one, he seems terrified…_

"Y- Yeah…" _Those eyes… I've seen them before! But where?_

"I respect it if you don't want to talk about your dream." Glace raised a polite smile, but was curious nonetheless.

"I- it's fine, thanks…" _I am so baffled, I could almost punch myself in the face out of confusion!_ "I'll tell you later." _I now have even more questions to ponder than_ _when I started this journey, so it might take a while for me to report back…_ He adjusted his bag and avoided her gaze. "Anyway, I'm ready to head out. We should get moving, who knows when Weavile is coming back. We should definitely avoid Snowlake Village because he probably knows that we were heading in this direction." He tightened his scarf and stepped forward.  
 _I need some time to process the recent happenings and organise my thoughts without any social interaction as fast as possible! Perhaps it was a bad idea to let someone accompany me... After all, strategy is the key to winning, and if I have to implement another character into my complex scheme it could lead to quite some difficulties._

"Raphi?"

 _Yet again it could improve my chances of succeeding if I consider every possible outcome. Four eyes are normally better than only two…_

"Hello-o?"

 _But it would also double the amount of potential results and I'd have to calculate every single aspect twice! The question is: Would a companion slow me down or boost me in the long-term? Maybe this problem could be solved by analysing her strengths and weaknesses._

"Somebody home?"

 _Let's see… She is not the fastest, but she does pack a punch, especially with her special attacks. Her type doesn't possess as many weaknesses as mine and she has the advantage over some of them due to her choice of attacks. Furthermore, her ability…_

"RAPHI!"

Glaceon's yell interrupted his line of thought. "Huh, what? Sorry, I was absent-minded…" he said and blushed. "Could you please repeat?"

She rolled her eyes. "I said that I know where we are. Since you are this freaked out by Weavile," _Who's certainly NOT coming back…_ "…I figured we should travel to the next big city: If we continue to the west, we are going to arrive in Roverside City in 2 days max. It is a pretty large town, housing many Pokémon who are on the journey through. However, I don't quite understand why you are worried: He got totally SMASHED by a giant boulder and fell down the escarpment - I mean, I didn't see everything since I was busy maintaining our slide, but still: The damage we both inflicted on him surely scared him off big time! I'm positive we won't be seeing his smug face for a long time…"  
She walked past him in a westward direction. "Also, stop agonising over every detail and try being a little more optimistic instead of behaving like a Grumpy Meowth – You look great when you're smiling! Trust me!" With a smirk on her face, she winked with one eye and then turned to lead the way.

Raphi knit his brows and followed her. _Oh please no, I really don't need to socialise any more than necessary…_


	6. Chapter 6: Pondering

The wind wafted through the trees. Yellow, red and brown leaves dropped to the ground here and there and the rainclouds passed by above the whole scenery. A small stream carved its way through the mossy rocks, purling quietly.

Raphi and Glace were on a short break during their journey to Roverside City. While the Ice-Pokémon was consuming an Oran Berry, the Grass-type Pokémon starred at his reflection in the brook, eyeing himself curiously. He tilted his head to the side and grasped his right ear, properly examining its fur and leafy upper part and paying close attention to the various indentations. His focus then shifted to the green sprouts on his chest as well as his long tail.

"You sure love your own mirror image, don't you?" Glace laughed and entered his field of view.

"You should know that I obviously have no clue of how I appear to other Pokémon. My entire visual nature is completely different than before! _Except for my fur, which is approximately the same colour as my old trench coat…_

"Well, I'm not going to rate your visual nature, you'll have to figure that out for yourself." she said, blushing unnoticeably and walking westwards.

"I'm fine with that." _I don't care if someone dislikes my appearance - they'll have to deal with it either way because it's not going to change anytime soon._ Before following Glaceon, he glanced at his reflection one more time. _7.8 out of 10._

"I suppose you're not fully accustomed of your new form yet?" she asked.

"Yeah… It's hard for me to accept it. Everything feels completely different! It feels strange being covered in fur and walking on all fours. I possess new powers and different abilities too. Fortunately, as a Leafeon, I can still concentrate on speed and agility rather than brute force. But what bugs me the most are my countless weaknesses and few type advantages. Luckily, I prefer brains over strength, so I'll just have to come up with the perfect strategy…"

"Good luck with that! It'll probably take quite some time, but I'm sure you'll be able to manage it! As for me, I like to intimidate my foes by enduring their assaults first and then using one of my devastating Special Attacks to defeat them!"

 _That's… pretty careless… and unthoughtful…_ he thought and shrugged.

…

After walking for a while without a word, Glace posed him a question: "So? What about your dream? Are you ready to tell me?"

Raphi looked at her and sighed. "Okay..." _Here we go._

He briefly explained his nightmare, getting goose bumps just by mentioning the haunting red eyes. Glace listened in silence to his tale, nodding here and there to show she was paying close attention.

Once Raphi finished, she twitched her ears nervously and answered: "Woah. That is… really messed up. Do you have any idea who or what that thing could've been?"

"Unfortunately… no. I am certain that I've met it before, but other than that, I don't recall anything. It has to be linked to my arrival in this world, otherwise it wouldn't appear in my dreams! My theory is that it at least took part in a final moment before I was transported here. Out of the corner of my eye, I also saw pieces of machinery and floating glass shards – perhaps I was brought to this place by a lab accident caused by the creature, or a machine malfunctioned. Furthermore, I couldn't have been the only one to get sucked through a portal – The Weavile we encountered must've been one of those silhouettes! That brings up the question why he didn't lose his memory…"  
He rolled his eyes and stomped on the ground in frustration. _So many mysteries, so many unsolved puzzles. I'll have to get to the bottom of this!_

"So basically we have to investigate everyone with red eyes?"

Raphi gazed at her sceptically. "…Yeah, of course. As simple as that…" _Seriously?_

"Don't worry, I'm just joking!" she chuckled. _But it would be a starting point…_

"Anyhow, I wanted to ask: What awaits me in Roverside City? What do I have to expect?" he said curiously with a hint of anxiety. _I don't want to go somewhere unprepared - Knowledge is power!_

"Well, as I explained earlier, there are many different Pokémon passing through this town on their own journey. It's one of the bigger cities in this area, marching upon major mountain ranges and a large river that originates from the hills and runs through the land. Many accommodation facilities are positioned at the city boundary. Shops, arenas and other establishments are located in the centre."

"Wait, arenas? Do you mean for gladiatorial events or for… I don't know… drama?"

"Actually… both! But if you want to win a fight in the arena, you'd have to be born as the right Pokémon – Most tournament participants simply lack the type resistances or natural power and loose in the first few rounds." _And the more weaknesses, the less the chances of succeeding…_ Glace sighed, reminiscing about a former incident. "That doesn't stop few maniacs from trying though!" she put on a fake smile and watched the trees near the path.

Raphi eyed her with interest and concern. _Is she hiding something from me? Sounds like she visited this city before - it's probably the best not to address it…_ "I haven't planned on competing in the arena, so no worries!" _Pha! Physical limitations and type disadvantages – adorable! It all comes down to preparation, knowing one's enemy and – especially - will power!_ "Thank you for telling me!"

They chatted about Pokémon types and possible team names until it got dark and the moonlight was shining through the treetops.

"We should find a shelter." Glaceon mumbled and looked around. Unfortunately, the bushes all were either too small or contained thorns.

Raphi realised the lack of a safe hideout on the ground and gazed into the woods, coming up with an idea. Without hesitating, he sprinted to the next tall pine tree. He jumped and extended his claws, allowing him to grip the bark as he landed vertically on the trunk. Determined, he rapidly climbed all the way up into the crown, carefully avoiding brittle and fragile parts. With one final effort, he swung himself on the highest branch that could carry his weight without breaking. He triumphantly looked down on Glace.  
"Are you coming?" he said and smirked.

She smiled benignly and followed him. She nearly slipped a few times, but eventually she caught up to him and sat down on the opposite branch. "It seems to me that you are inherently good at climbing." she stated and took a breather. _But it kind of makes sense since this is the natural habitat of most Leafeons._ "Excuse me for a second, I have to adjust my 'bed'." She stepped back slightly and used Ice Beam to form a flat, solid plate to sleep on. "Do you want one too?"

"No thanks, I'm good!" Raphi hooked his claws into the tree bark to prevent himself from falling down. _I'm not so eager to almost freeze to death twice…_ "Good night Glace!"

"Good night to you too..." she yawned and closed her eyes.

The Grass-type Pokémon however lay agitated on the branch, switching positions every now and then. He stared at the scattered stars in the cloudy sky for a long period of time, trying desperately to remember events from the past – without success.

The fear of his nightmare returning turned into reality when he finally fell asleep.

…

Raphi found himself in the dark, empty void once more. The disrupted scenery was exactly the same: The pieces of machinery, the floating glass shards, the metal floor, the blurry silhouettes. But this time, there was a major difference to his previous dream: he could move around freely!

He cautiously avoided the broken pieces of glass as he examined the nearest machine. It was covered in a dust layer and partially overgrown by plants.

The next few machines weren't much different either: The letters on the buttons were undecipherable and the screws lay loose on the ground between rusty gear-wheels.

After inspecting a couple more, his attention shifted to one at the edge of the floor. Like the others, most of it was already torn to shreds. However, this construction consisted of newer materials and was overall – within the realms of possibility – in a better shape than the rest. It also seemed that it had been smashed to the side, indicated by the stress marks on the ground in front of it. The green signs on the dimly lit screen on the top left corner were illegible because of the cracked display.

 _This thing just looks out of place! Every machine looks like it belongs here, except for this one – it appears to me that it had been destroyed recently, while the others must have been rotting in this place for ages! Maybe someone brought it here for a special purpose… But what is it for? What does it do?_

Raphi's thoughts were immediately interrupted when suddenly the dark, red-eyed mass from his previous nightmare rose through the floor, startling him greatly and causing him to wake up.


	7. Chapter 7: Roverside City

"Since it has the ability to pass through the floor, it sounds to me like you are dealing with a Ghost-type Pokémon!" Glace said.

The sky was still covered in grey rain clouds as they discussed Raphi's dream.

"You have a point… However, if I remember correctly then there are over a dozen Ghost-Pokémon with red eyes. Furthermore, we don't know if it just exists in my nightmare or – if it's real – where it is located." he argued.

"Whatever it is, you'll probably find out more in your dreams at this rate." She smiled optimistically and continued to lead him through the woods. "We're almost in Roverside City, hurry up!"

 _Finally._ "So: What exactly are we going to do once we arrive?" Leafeon asked while he surveyed the surrounding area.

Glace gave him an inquiring glance. "Isn't it obvious? We need to accept a mission in order to gain money to restock our items – we don't have much Oran Berries left. And we might even find some clues and hints on the way!"

There were less and less trees as the duo reached the outskirts of Roverside City.

"Wow, that IS a large town!" Raphi marveled at the buildings next to the path.  
They mostly contained two- to three levels max and were constructed out of stones and logs. To prevent the structures from collapsing, they were tied together with nets as well as ropes. The entrances had either no door at all or were concealed by leafy curtains or a broad wooden plank. Some houses exhibited a sign over the front doorway, mostly saying 'Hotel' or 'Hostel' and the name of the Pokémon that owns the place.

Glace led him crisscross through the slightly sandy streets, stopping after a few minutes at a big black board on the market square. Different missions were listed on wooden plaques that were suspended on iron hooks.

"Huh, tough luck! Most of them are for higher ranked teams only." She inspected the assignments fit for bronze-ranked Pokémon. "Ah, this one sounds promising! We would have to research and explore Mt. Dice with Professor Marshtomp and his assistant Cranidos – that shouldn't be too difficult. Supplies are provided by the client… excellent! And the reward is really generous too: 250 Poké for each of us! It's amazing that it hasn't been taken by another team yet! What do you say Raphi?"

"Okay, I'm in." _Seems easy enough._ he thought and grabbed the plaque. "Let's do it!"

"Awesome! In order to accept this mission, we first have to register at the bar nearby." Glace looked at the signs on the buildings near the job board. One of them displayed 'Braixen's Tavern' in bright yellow colours. "That has to be it!" she said and pointed at the entrance.

Raphi nodded wordlessly and followed his friend inside.

The structure consisted of hard clay with the occasional wooden plank for better support. Stumps were used as chairs and stone slabs as tables. As usual, there weren't that many customers in the afternoon: A Pangoro and an Ampharos were talking about the wonderful future of their relationship in the lounge while a Ludicolo and a Spinda received a load of Drinks from a Scrafty.

The owner, a female Braixen, noticed the two newcomers and leaned over the counter to greet them. "Hey there, welcome to my tavern! What can I get you? Kasib Berry Juice is todays special and very popular amongst my guests…"

"Thank you, but we're not here for the drinks." Glace paused as Raphi consigned the piece of wood. "We're here to take on this mission!" she continued.

 _I really should put out on a sign saying 'Paying Customers Only'…_ Braixen imagined regretfully. "I need to see your guild badges first. Please show them to me."

They both did as they were told and revealed them to the Fire-type Pokémon.

"Good, everything seems to be in order." The bartender eyed them critically. _I thought nobody would ever dare to pick up the assignment… But hey, I've been wrong before. They look determined though, especially the Leafeon. Let's hope that the recent rumours aren't true – it would be a waste of potential…_ She dipped her paw into a bowl of red wax and marked the small plank. "Very well then: Take this plaque with you to Professor Marshtomp. He is currently staying at the 'Dodrio Bros. Hotel' - it's just down the street and then to the left. Good luck on your mission!"

The team straightened their bags and thanked the friendly owner.

 _You'll need it._ She sighed as they left the tavern.

…

"This is the place." Glace looked up the facade of the timber construction. The sign hung lopsided above the entrance and some of the letters weren't even readable anymore.

As expected, the interior wasn't in the best shape either: The lobby consisted of a few brittle logs serving as seats and a long mossy stone table in front of a Dodrio.  
His middle head spotted the guests and then pecked the others. "Guys, wake up! We have customers!" he whispered nervously and cleared his throat. "Good evening, travellers! How may I – Drake - assist you? We have-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by his left head: "The name" - he paused for dramatic effect - "Is Iosefa – and it is my pleasure to welcome such a lovely couple as you to our humble establishment. We would be honoured if you would decide to spend the night in these halls – we still have a charming room for two available at a solid price!" he proclaimed and bowed his head in devotion.

"HEY! It was my turn you idiot!" Drake snarled and leered at Iosefa.

"Absolutely NOT! What are you, retarded?! You're just jealous of my fabulous introduction!"

"Oh, really? Do you want me to give you the middle head, you wannabe receptionist?!"

"Say that to my FACE!"

They continued fighting while the third head dedicated himself to their confused customers. "Please accept my sincere apologies for the behaviour of my other heads – they always tend to exaggerate…" _That's why we don't have many guests that stay longer than one night…_ "Anyways, I am the hotel keeper Donovan – how can I help you?"

Raphi hesitated slightly before he answered: "We are looking for Professor Marshtomp and his assistant Cranidos – we were told that he resides in this facility."

"Ah, yes, the Professor! At the moment, he's upstairs in 'Room 4' – you can't miss it!"

"Thanks!" Not wanting to spend any more time than necessary in front of the scolding Dodrio, Raphi hurried up the stairs and was closely followed by Glace. _Who cares about my many type disadvantages, I prefer them over extra heads! Ugh, forced social interaction…_ He shuddered at the sheer thought.

When he knocked on the makeshift door, the team heard a voice from the inside: "Cranidos, please answer the door for me!"

A few seconds later said Pokémon appeared behind the plank and greeted them.

"Hi there! We're here for the exploration-mission!" Glace said and held up the plaque.

"Really? Great!" _Finally!_ "Professor! There's a Leafeon and a Glaceon who want to accompany us on our journey to Mt. Dice!"

Cranidos got pushed aside as a Marshtomp emerged from the back of the apartment. From Raphi's point of view, he looked like the stereotypical absent-minded professor. This picture was further strengthened by the many sheets of paper scattered on the floor behind him.

"Perfect! Now we can finally begin with our research!" The excitement in his voice was obvious. _I thought nobody would ever show up and that we'd have to do it ourselves in the end!_ "Let's leave immediately!"


	8. Chapter 8: Mt Dice

"Did you discover anything new in your dream?" Not wanting their clients to hear their conversation, Glace spoke to Raphi under her breath.

The duo was walking behind Professor Marshtomp and his assistant Cranidos in the direction of Mt. Dice. To their fortune, they were able to convince them to shift the departure until the next morning in order to get a little bit of sleep. The researchers took 'tomorrow morning' very seriously and they were called up at the sign of the first rays of sunlight.

"Not really… I only found the remains of a yellow inscription on the most well-preserved machine – but like the rest of the markings, it was totally scratched and torn apart."

"What are you two whispering about?" said Marshtomp and chuckled. "Let me guess, it's about the recent rumours regarding Mt. Dice?"

Raphi pricked up his leaf-like ears. "Rumours?" _Wait, what rumours?_

"Didn't you know? Approximately four days ago, rumours spread that a group of friends visited this area and didn't come back. It is also said that a search party of experienced Pokémon went after them who vanished as well. Even though there's no proof of these incidents, many Pokémon believed it: Since the rumours started, nobody went nowhere near the mountain in fear of disappearing too. That's why we're here: My assistant and I want to find out the truth and show everybody that there's nothing to worry about!"

A cold chill went down Raphi's spine. _This doesn't sound too good… I don't want to risk anything. Ugh, I hate it when I don't know what I'm dealing with!_

Glace noticed his anxious expression and laughed. "You don't believe in this nonsense, do you? They probably just fell victim to one the countless Pokémon that inhabit Mt. Dice – I've heard some of them can get pretty brutal if it means defending their territory."

Instead of calming down, Raphi started to worry even more. _Oh no, this is bad! What types are these Pokémon? What is the best action if I encounter one? And then there's the unknown terrain…_

Glace interrupted his thoughts by jostling him friendly. "Hey, don't be concerned about it! I'm sure we'll be fine! They are just rumours after all…"

He replied with a trembling voice: "Y-Yeah, you're probably right…" _That doesn't mean I'll lower my watchfulness…_ With the intent of changing the subject, Raphi posed the two researchers a question: "I was wondering: Why exactly is it called Mt. Dice? It's a rather peculiar name…"

Cranidos tilted his head to face him. "The mountain's designation origins from its extraordinarily-shaped rocks which look like cubes. Furthermore, most of the terrain is covered in a thick layer of ice, turning the surfaces into beautiful mirrors when the weather's as cloudless as today! But you will see that for yourself before long: We've already reached the outskirts of Mt. Dice!"

The trees were slowly thinning out and revealed an astonishing sight: Every stone, no matter the size, was perfectly square and covered in ice that shimmered in the forenoon sun.

"Don't get too distracted by the view - remember: We are now entering the highly populated domain of the Ice- and Rock-type Pokémon! Always be beady-eyed!" the Professor dunned them.

Raphi and Glace nodded and closely followed them, eying the surrounding landscape precisely.

…

"Huh. That's very strange…" Marshtomp mumbled.

"What's strange, Professor?" Raphi asked who heard his comment.

"You know, we've been walking for a while now… without ANY trouble! As I mentioned before, many Pokémon reside in this area because of the optimal living conditions. Yet we still haven't run across an inhabitant… Moreover, the absolute silence… No sound whatsoever… only the noise of our own footsteps – frightening!"

Raphi listened in apprehensively and ducked his head while Glace was exploring the side of the frozen path. "Hey, I think I found something!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing through the mountain. "It's a… bag? Who would leave his belongings in a place like this and why?

Professor Marshtomp picked up the object and examined it in detail. "Well, one thing's for sure: It wasn't lost during a battle – it's fully intact; there isn't even a scratch!" He combed through the several items. _What's this? A golden badge? There is no way such a high-ranked Pokémon would just leave it behind! I better keep this to myself; the tension is already unbearable…_ He hesitantly tucked it away and closed the bag.

Before they could investigate any further, they were interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps that were closing in with high speed.

Raphi and Glace presumed a fighting stance while their clients hid behind them.

A towering Aurorus turned around the corner. His eyes widened in surprise at their sight and he came to an abrupt halt in front of them. Visibly terrified, he stuttered with a raspy voice: "E-Everybody… They… The s-sur-surfaces! Devoured! I have to get out of h-here!" He looked around the landscape in a hurry and ran past them.

The group watched as he disappeared behind the rocks. Before they could comment on their uncommon encounter, they heard his panic-fueled scream.

"Quick, we need to help him!" the Professor shouted and stormed after him.

Raphi exchanged a worried gaze with Glace and then followed him within a safe distance.

"He… He's gone…" Marshtomp stood there, stunned. He inspected the area. The icy boulders shimmered in the midday sunlight and reflected his confusion. _The scratches on the ice from his claws just stop here!_ "It is impossible for a big Pokémon like Aurorus to hide here! He completely vanished!" he stammered and investigated the cliff. _Nothing!_

In the meantime, Cranidos caught up to them. "This mountain is giving me the creeps – It's probably the best to get out of here before anything happens to us!"

Raphi was already standing on shaky ground. "I'm with Cranidos – let's leave! I think we can all agree that the rumours seem to be true…" _Something is definitely wrong with this place!_ he thought and began to walk in circles nervously.

Glace stared into the distance, lost in her thoughts. She was starting to panic as well, yet she didn't let on about it.

The depressing silence was promptly disrupted by the Professor's cry of terror.

They wasted no time and rushed around the corner where he was just a second ago – yet he was nowhere to be seen…

"I'm here! Please, help me!" he screamed.

Raphi had to look twice before he noticed Marshtomp's hands that tried to keep a hold of a slippery rock to prevent himself from falling. However, the rest of his body wasn't dangling over an abyss: The Pokémon was in fact WITHIN a boulder!

"Wha- But… how!?" Leafeon was rooted to the spot. _How is this possible?! He's INSIDE a rock!_

Glace on the other hand ignored the oddity of the situation and grabbed his left hand with her mouth.

With the help of Raphi as well as Cranidos, they secured her footing and eventually managed to pull him out. They weren't prepared for the sudden movement though and tripped backwards. Fortunately, the group hit a solid wall.

The Professor straightened up after he caught his breath. "I think we know where Aurorus and the other the inhabitants of Mt. Dice went... The same fate probably applies to the missing Pokémon and the search party too! I merely leaned against the boulder's surface and fell through it! And don't get me started on the gravity in this empty space - it doesn't make any sense at all! It…"

A crackling noise from above made him stop mid-sentence. The previous impact on the wall triggered an avalanche and single pebbles were already falling down on them.

"Run." Marshtomp looked up. A ginormous crag came into his view, closing in at a high rate. "RUN!"

They sprinted across the slithery path down the mountain. When Raphi looked back over his shoulder, he saw that even more cube-shaped rocks had loosened and were coming straight at them! "Everybody, get to the side!"

They followed his advice just in time as a massive boulder passed them.

"There are more on the way!" he shouted.

The slope contributed to their speed, but there were many obstacles in their path and the icy ground made them stumble every now and then. In spite of the severeness of the situation, they had a pretty good chance of getting away unharmed.

But right as the terrain was starting to level a bit, the ground under Cranidos gave in and his lower body subsided. Raphi and Marshtomp tried to reverse but were unable to on the ice. Glaceon on the other hand was accustomed to this sort of surface and rushed to his rescue.

"Please! Get me out of this! I don't want to die!" His eyes opened wide in shock as his left hand slipped.

"Give me your hand!" she exclaimed and reached for his short arms, but it was too late: She had to watch helplessly as Cranidos fell into the endless void, his scream becoming silent when he completely vanished from her vision.

The call of her friend woke her from her numbness: "Glace! WATCH OUT!"

A rock five times her size was coming her way. She narrowly avoided it, yet the compression wave caused her to fling to the side and fall down the escarpment.

The Professor saw everything and screamed in despair. "It should have been me! He was so young, full of life and energy!" _He was like a son to me…_ He wiped away a tear and recognised that the boulder had hit an obstacle and was now flying in their direction.

Raphi, who was running next to him, only perceived the following moments in slow-motion. Marshtomp violently thrusted him forwards, the strong blow turning him in mid-air. He watched in horror as the frozen rock swallowed his saviour from head to toe.

His eyes were filled with remorse as he spent his final moments on this world quietly gazing upon Leafeon.

Were it not for researcher, they both would have been engulfed.

"No! Professor!" However, he had no time for sorrowness as the cube turned at the impact by approximately 270 degrees and pursued the Grass-type Pokémon further. Using his claws, he managed to have the lead over it shortly – but it was slowly catching up due to the steep, and Raphi couldn't run any faster!

 _Come on, come on! Marshtomp's sacrifice can't be in vain!_ He looked back and gasped at the sight: The end of his tail was already inside the towering rock! If he would've squinted his eyes, he could have made out the Professor's distant silhouette in the void, but he was too concentrated on his escape to do so. _I don't want to be overtaken by the same fate as the others! There has to be a solution! There always is!_

He surveyed his surroundings in haste. _There's nothing here I can use to improve my situation!_ Raphi looked at the cloudless sky. The sun was still shining relatively harsh for this time of year. _Unless… That's it!_ _Let's hope this works…_ he hoped and closed his eyes.

Right before his hind legs could lose ground, he was able to activate his ability, Chlorophyll. _Yes!_ _It's working! I'm really accelerating!_

Leafeon dashed forward and jumped just in time to dodge the rock. It slithered onwards into the woods, crashing into the landscape. Unfortunately for Raphi, he underestimated his speed and bounced into the nearest tree, fainting from the hard clash.


	9. Chapter 9: Thunderstorm

"Ugh, my head… This is starting to become a habit…" Raphi wiped away the dirt and leaves from his coat, sat up and surveyed the landscape.

He must've been unconscious for the rest of the day – neither the stars nor the moon were visible through the thick clouds and heavy rain.

"Great, now we can walk through the forest soppy and in the dark!" he mumbled.

Normally, he preferred the rain above harsh sunshine, but given his condition he wasn't really up for it at the moment.

He cast about for his friend, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Glace? This is not the time for hide and seek!" His eyes widened in fear as he remembered seeing her falling down a cliff midway. _Oh no!_ "Glace!" _She can't have ended up like Professor Marshtomp and Cranidos! I have to find her! But… I can't go back up the mountain, it's way too dangerous!_ He gazed upon the gloomy silhouette of Mt. Dice. Lightning struck somewhere behind the mountain followed shortly by a loud thunder that scared him even more. _A storm is especially dangerous on high terrain with no cover… It's probably safer to investigate the borders. Though I'm a bit worried about the trees – it sounds like it's coming closer…_

He tightened his wet scarf and straightened his bag before walking westwards.

…

Raphi eventually found his companion after searching for hours. She was lying in a puddle of rainwater. Her body was covered in a few wounds from her fall and her tail was trapped underneath a big rock.  
"Glace! Are you okay?!" he asked and poked her.

She gasped for air in surprise when she felt his touch. The rain lashed across her face while she looked into her friend's eyes. "R-Raphi? Is that you?" _How much time has passed since I passed out?_

"Yes, it's me! Is everything alright? As far as I can tell, you're pretty injured…"

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine…" She tried to stand up but was unable to because of the boulder on her tail. "Ow! My tail!" Her effort to pull it free was without success. "Do you think you could destroy the rock with an attack?"

He nodded and stepped backwards. _Okay… This power is something completely new to me, but I can use it again – I'll just have to make sure I don't hit her when I use Razor Leaf. Here we go!_

The question mark-shaped sprout on his forehead was illuminated by a bright green colour as he swung his head and unleashed some sickle-like leaves that smashed right into the boulder, splitting it in half and freeing Glaceon.

"Phew, thanks a lot!" She looked around with searching eyes. "Where is the Professor? Wasn't he with you after I fell down the cliff? Or did he…" _…end up like his assistant?_

Raphi nodded dolefully. He got swallowed by an icy rock, just like Cranidos."

"I feared you would say that… Now we've lost both of our nice clients and we still haven't gained any money! We should head back to Roverside City. At least we can confirm the rumours there so nobody goes to this place ever again! But before we go, I'd like to get a bit of sleep if you don't mind."

"No, of course not. I'm tired as well…" … _but I have other plans._

"Great." she yawned. "I'm just going to lie down next to these bushes…"

Leafeon straightened up and waited until she was asleep and her breath became regular. _As much as I'd like to rest as well, one of us has to keep an eye on that thunderstorm – we are very close to the forest after all. But in the meantime, I can always train! I haven't forgotten a certain Dark/Ice-type Pokémon…_ His glance occulted at the thought. _I want to be ready._

And with that, he set out to a more rugged area to avoid disturbing his friend.

…

"Quick, Glace, wake up! The storm is right above us!" Raphi shouted, shaking her.

"Huh, what?" She woke up from her short sleep when a lightning struck a tree at close quarters.

"Come on, hurry!" He helped her up and they both ran to the east. _This is bad! We are surrounded by the most unideal terrain in a thunderstorm: Mt. Dice is to the left where an avalanche could occur and to the right there is nothing but the forest! Yet by evaluating these two options, I conclude that it is probably a little bit safer to head through the woods straight to Roverside City! The trees shouldn't be that flammable due to the heavy rain and there should be the river that bypasses the town too!  
_ "Glace! Let's sprint through the forest! Follow me!" he yelled backwards.

The Grass-type Pokémon had to slow down many times in order for her to keep up with the pace and to run next to him.

They jumped over mossy rocks, dead branches as well as logs and sidestepped the trees in their path.

Eventually, they arrived at the river that also flows past Roverside City. The lights emitted from the structures were already visible in the distance through the rain. There was little vegetation near the stream and the terrain was mostly flat, so they didn't have to look out for obstacles.

"Yes! We've almost made it!" Raphi said triumphal and went ahead.

Suddenly, the clouds above him lit up and a strong thunderbolt struck the tip of his raised tail. He screamed in surprise and pain as the energy passed through his body and caused him to sink to the ground. "Th-That was unexpected…" he breathed stertorously and twitched from the shock.

Glace came to a halt near him. Her facial expression revealed that she was rather angry than concerned, but there was still a hint of fear. "I knew this would happen if you kept your tail this upright during a storm! You have to maintain a low profile if you don't want to get hit!"

 _You could've told me this earlier… My eyes are upfront and you were behind me most of the time…_ he thought and rolled his eyes. "It's hard to control a part of your body that wasn't there before, you know?" _At least it wasn't very effective… As a human, I would most likely be dead after a direct hit from a lightning strike! But now I'm even more worn out!_ "Whatever, let's just keep moving!" He tripped at his first steps but got a hold of it later and continued onwards alongside Glaceon.

…

The team finally arrived at the city at the crack of dawn. Raphi was still not feeling very well and sometimes had to lean on the Ice Pokémon. "We should search for an accommodation – I haven't slept once since the last morning…" _Fainting doesn't count!_

"Yeah, but we don't have much money left. After all, we've failed our mission and therefore we didn't receive any payment!" Glace suddenly grinned as she remembered a certain establishment. "I think there is a hotel that is in dire need of some customers…"

Her friend brightened up as well and he led the way to the 'Dodrio Bros. Hotel'.


	10. Chapter 10: Deduction

Nothing had changed since their last visit: The colour was still peeling from the walls and the furniture was as shabby as it could ever be.

The only difference was, that, instead of Dodrio, a Doduo was working at the counter. His left head looked up as they entered and its eyes widened in shock. "Please inspectors, we'll meet the necessary health and safety terms as soon as possible! There's no need to shut down our facility!" he exclaimed and ducked.

Raphi raised an eyebrow at his statement and calmed him: "Ugh, don't worry about it… we are not from the health department…"

"You aren't? I mean, I knew that! Anyways, how may I help you? My older brother Dodrio has the day off, so I, Dustin, will attend to your needs." he said and put on an exaggerated smile.

 _Why do only weirdos work in this place?_ "We would like to rest in your establishment, but we don't really have that much money-"

As Raphi spoke the word 'money', the other head awakened from his slumber. It shouted with a shrill voice: "Did somebody say 'money'?! Where is it?! Give it to me!" He then noticed the new customers. "Oh guests, what a surprise! No really, I'm serious – we don't get that many…"

"Nonetheless, as my friend was saying: We can't pay much and-" Glace had stepped forward and wanted to get this over with as fast as possible when she got interrupted by Doduo's right head.

"Oh! Hey there, beautiful!" _A lovely lady in OUR hotel?_ He cleared his throat and tried to put on a more cunning glance (but failed). "My name is Douglas, but you can call me the Pokémon of your dreams!"

Unflattered by his words, she rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I already have a boyfriend." She pointed her paw at the surprised Leafeon behind her. She stopped in her movement when she came up with an idea. "But I am really flattered that someone as good looking as you would even notice me… Unfortunately, we don't have much money on our hands, so we'll have to spend our night elsewhere…" She turned around and took a few steps in the direction of the entrance.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Douglas requested her to remain: "N-No, it's fine, please stay! I know, w-we'll give you a discount!"

Glace smirked before facing him again with an overly cheery expression. "Really? That would be so nice of you!"

"Wait, we are? Douglas, I'm not okay with this! We're already low on income and you-"

Raphi interrupted Dustin mid-sentence and whispered: "If you let us stay, we'll leave a positive feedback on this establishment…"

Dustin's eyes brightened with joy. "For real? Wow, most people just don't have the time to leave a review, no matter the subject! But if someone does, we're more than grateful! Thank you!"

The Doduo received the payment and handed them the key to room 4. "This is one of our finest rooms, and the previous residents checked out yesterday!"

"Since when am I your boyfriend?" Raphi questioned Glace out of Doduo's hearing range as they walked up the stairs.

"I had to say something so he would lose interest in me…" she answered and blushed slightly without him noticing.

"If you say so." Raphi shrugged and continued upstairs and entered the former residence of the Professor and his assistant.

The room looked approximately the same as before. The floor was relatively clean and the hay beds had been exchanged. They said 'goodnight' to each other and laid down.

As Raphi was about to doze off, he noticed a sheet of paper in the corner that got overlooked by the cleaning staff. He picked it up and read it. _This is one of Professor Marshtomp's notes! Apparently, most Pokémon disappeared at Mt. Dice, but others also vanished in snowy and crystal-like areas, in regions near sources of water and even in the desert! But this doesn't add up! Why not elsewhere? What do these locations have in common? After all, the desert is the complete opposite of an icy mountain! They don't share any features!  
_ He looked at Glace who was deep asleep. _Maybe the answer will present itself to me after a long sleep._ The Grass-type Pokémon had a stretch on the mat of hay and then quickly drifted off.

…

"Oh come on!" Raphi bristled with anger. He found himself once again in the destroyed laboratory in his nightmare.

As expected, the red-eyed creature was floating above the metal floor, staring at the Leafeon intensely like before.

"Why do you keep sending me here during my dreams?! Do you know how depressing this sight is by now?!" _It's the same every night, hurray!_ _Why can't I sleep in peace for once? That thing seems to like appearing and vanishing whenever it pleases… Does that mean-_ "Do you have something to do with the disappearance of these various Pokémon? Answer me!" _There is the possibility that it is responsible for them!_

Instead of doing so, the blurry silhouette vanished through the ground, leaving no trace that it was there before.

"Yeah, great, just ignore me over and over again! It's not like I want to solve this mystery or anything…" he grumbled and stomped on the floor. _Why do I always have to figure things out by myself? There are no hints… and… wait-_ Raphi stopped amid his thoughts. _It went right through the floor! Just like the Professor and his assistant on the icy mountain!_

 _Let's recall everything that happened on Mt. Dice: We arrived there in the morning and briefly met Aurorus about noon. He disappeared and we found out that some of the rocks weren't solid and led to an empty space where the gravitational rules didn't apply. Then we had to escape an avalanche and Cranidos fell through the path beneath him. Moreover, Marshtomp sacrificed himself shortly after to safe me from getting swallowed by a giant cube with him._ Raphi walked in circles while squinting his eyes to maximise his concentration.

 _The question is: Why were some of the surfaces solid and others were not? Let's see… The wall we leaned against was hidden under the escarpment on the eastern side of the mountain, and the boulder the Professor fell into first was adverse to it. Cranidos went missing on the path that led down the south-east side of Mt. Dice, which was surrounded by many big rocks that covered the track in shadows most of the time; and the Professor vanished because of a giant boulder that hit an obstacle and, as a result, got launched in the air and landed onto him._

 _There is certainly a pattern, but what did all the surface areas had in common? And how do they connect to the other locations where Pokémon also went missing?_

 _We don't know for sure on which ground Aurorus disappeared, but the terrain was almost completely covered in ice around the spot where we saw him for the last time. The path downhill and the big cube were frozen too. To conclude, all three Pokémon fell through ice, which is often present in snowy regions and sort of similar to crystals. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a real connection to sources of water and especially the desert… Sure, some rivers are covered with an ice layer during winter, yet from what I've heard, the weather was actually relatively warm and sunny in western-situated areas – except for Mt. Dice of course, it is always in a frozen state. However, the wasteland is clear of ice throughout the whole year…. I'm overlooking something!_

 _Since some sort of crystals can be found in almost every one of these areas, I should focus on them: Ice can be transparent as well as nontransparent. It freezes at around zero degrees and is lighter than water, so it swims on top of it. If it's above that temperature, it melts, especially in the sun. Speaking of which: light can travel refracts itself in the ice and then cause… reflections..._

He looked at the metal floor. Even though there was no light source around, it shone slightly and portrayed the void above it.

"OF COURSE!" Raphi shouted out loud, the echo of his voice eventually disappearing in the distance. _Crystals can act as mirrors in the sunlight! And it ties in with the sources of water too! If the surface of the water is flat and steady enough, it reflects its surroundings! And the most Pokémon disappeared on Mt. Dice because every rock is perfectly flat and coated with ice – ideal conditions for mirroring! And given that we've experienced harsh sunlight the day before, it's no wonder that we could clearly see ourselves in them!  
The wall we collided with was in the shadows while the cube we dragged the Professor out of was lit by the sun. The same applies to the spot where Cranidos vanished; he just happened to unluckily step onto a patch of sunlight the shadows of the large rocks to our right side didn't cover! And the big boulder that swallowed Marshtomp in the end was high up in the air and therefore illuminated as well!_

 _That leaves us with the desert. Where does it fit in? What ties this particular location to the others? Neither water nor ice occurs in such a desolated area after all… But how could there be a reflection then? Let's see: Deserts are sandy and mostly flat regions. Not much plant life grows there because of the high temperatures, minimal water supplies and extremely harsh sunlight.  
"_Huh." _And the connection lies in the weather yet again. But there are no mirrors! Unless… that's it! Fata Morganas! A mirage caused by the layers of air with different temperatures!_

"I'm a genius!" _Heh, you could say I was able to solve this problem in my sleep…_ he thought and smirked before waking up.


	11. Chapter 11: Wanted

"…and that's why the Pokémon that visited these places disappeared!" Raphi said and finished his analysis. _You have the right to be impressed!_

The team went to 'Braixen's Tavern' right after they woke up and told the bartender their story.

"I'm sorry to hear that your clients met such a terrible fate – but there's nothing you could've done to prevent the past events, so don't blame yourselves for them. I'm very grateful that you've figured this mystery out and I'll pass on the truth about the rumours."

"Thank you. Let's hope nobody else is imbecile enough to go there now…" Glace looked at her friend admiringly. _Hopefully he comes up with a theory on why some Pokémon got swallowed by reflections in the first place too…_

"Before you go, I want to give you something." Braixen smiled and handed Raphi an item.

"What is it?"

"This is a so-called 'Lucky Egg' – I've received it from a customer as payment, but I don't really need it though. _Plus, I still feel sorry for you two that you've received no real reward for your mission…_ "I've heard that if you carry it with you, your ability to learn from your battles will increase!"

"Um, thanks! That's really considerate of you!" He thanked the bar's owner for her gift and then left the building with his friend. _That was a nice gesture._

"What are we going to do now, Raphi?" Glace asked. "We know which places we should avoid, but there aren't any other signs to where we should head next."

"I don't know. We could probably just keep doing missions until we run into some hints on the nightmare creature's location." _This clueless search is getting on my nerves…_

"I'm okay with that!" She raised an enthusiastic smile. "Yet to do so, we need to journey to another city – there aren't any tasks left for our rank in this city. I'd say we avoid the Fir Desert - for obvious reasons - and head straight to Florest Village."

"Sounds fine by me. Lead the way!"

…

When they reached the outskirts of Roverside City, they coincidentally overheard a conversation through an open window between two Pokémon in a café next to them: "Excuse me madam, I'm in search of a male Leafeon wearing an olive green-, red- and grey textured scarf. He should be accompanied by a female Glaceon with the same piece of clothing." an Infernape asked an employee with a gruff voice. He leaned on the wall and looked very impatient and nervous.

Raphi realised that the Fire/Fighting-type was after him and tucked away his scarf in a hurry. He looked at Glace who had already taken it off and had stored it in her bag. _Is this an accomplice of Weavile?_

The waitress, an Aipom, smiled friendly and answered: "I'm sorry to disappoint you Sir, but no, I have not. I recommend you to question the Pokémon that journey through the city since I'm in here all day."

"I've already been told by some travellers that they've seen him in this town. Anyways, thank you for your time. Goodbye." He turned around and exited the establishment, surveying the surrounding area. _No trace of Raphi… But I won't give up 'til I find him!_ he thought and continued to the north.

The two wanted Pokémon caught their breath in the nearest side street. Luckily, they had reacted fast enough to escape Infernape's visual angle.

Glace was the first one to calm down. "Now what?"

"Let's get out of the city as quickly as possible without being spotted!" Raphi peeked around the corner again to make sure that he was gone. His fur stood on end when a voice from the shadows behind the duo surprised him.

"You two want to get out of town unseen? Follow me. I know many publicly unused alleys."

A Crobat had sneaked up to them in complete silence. While Raphi was sceptical, Glace seemed more trustworthy towards the stranger and went after him. _If I must… It's probably still better than running into Infernape._

They followed the Poison/Flying-type Pokémon for a while until they eventually reached the forest near the river which was already within earshot.

"I guess I was in the wrong about mistrusting you." Raphi said and walked next to him. "It was nice of you to- ah shit." He rolled his eyes at the sight of Weavile who was sitting on a branch in a treetop. "It's about time you showed up, this journey was getting boring without an antagonist!" _Truth be told, I'd prefer it if you just wanted to say hi and then disappear again…_

"Long time no see, Raphi! An evil and hateful smirk formed on his face that warped the scar from their last encounter.

"Actually, it's only been a few days, but I guess math isn't your strength." Leafeon grinned at his own words. His chin was downcast and his feet were positioned in a defensive state.

"Ah, I've missed your eloquence! But be a little less boastful for once, will you?"

"Don't worry, 70% of it is sarcasm." _Or is it?_ "In any case, I see you've made a new friend – care to introduce him?" he said and pointed at Crobat.

"Oh, I wouldn't say 'new' – we've known each other for a long time. And to be totally clear: he's on MY side!"

Raphi's thoughts got clouded with questions. _That means I must've met him before I got transported to this world as well!_ _Is he also in the know of the events that brought me here? And what was his role back then?_ "I'm assuming you want to fight me once more. But before I kick your butt, would you kindly tell me WHY exactly you want to kill me? Or are you just a generic villain who does everything just because he's evil?"

Weavile grimly glanced at him and sulked. "To your information: you're talking about your own perspective – in my eyes, you're the bad guy! And since I'm in the right, I'll politely break it down to you – maybe then your friend over there -" He pointed at Glaceon who looked at him with an inquiring glance. "Will change her perspective about you. Anyways: Before we got here, we strived to create a better world by using an ancient power as well as human technology – in fact, we still do! However, our plans have been foiled TWICE in a row!" His expression darkened as he pointed his claws at Raphi. "While some stupid kid crossed our first plans, you defeated us the second time! And we were so close to achieving our goals to improve reality!"  
He stopped shortly and considered the circumstances. "Yet… in some way you also contributed to our cause since this world is even more suitable for our success! But to make sure that you don't mess this up again, we are going to annihilate you now!" He finished his speech and leaped at Raphi with Ice Punch.

Raphi had already expected an offense and used Quick Attack to strike him in mid-air. "Glace, take care of Crobat!" he shouted at his friend who had listened in silence during the whole conversation.

She responded with a nod and fired an Ice Beam at it.

The purple Pokémon dodged it with ease and fought back with an Air Slash that Glace blocked with Ice Fang.

Weavile was on his feet again and sprinted in Raphi's direction. "Your so-called 'victory' last time was based on pure luck – this fight however won't end in your favor! You may have defeated me as a human, but now that you're a Pokémon yourself you can't possibly win against me in a real battle!"

"We'll see about that!" Raphi roared and evaded his attack. _Every time I wasn't in the middle of a conversation or thinking about possible explanations for the current events, I was coming up with strategies against Weavile – He may be physically stronger and he has the type advantage, but knowledge ultimately wins over raw power!_

A Brick Break caused Leafeon's head to smash onto the grass. He rapidly adjusted to the situation by twisting his opponent's left foot to knock him over. _From what I've observed, he has quite the big ego – once his arrogance and temper get a hold of him, it is my time to strike back!_

"You fight like a human!" The Dark/Ice-type recovered from his fall and kicked back with his other foot. It connected with Raphi's cheek and made him flinch.

 _When was the last time he washed his feet?_ He straightened up and talked back: "Fun Fact: I used to be one!"

"That doesn't imply you have to behave like one!" Weavile's voice was partially drowned by the noise of X-Scissor's impact on the ground. "Our leader is going to be very pleased to hear from your demise!"

"Huh. I thought you were the head of your little squad – yet it does make sense…" He grunted as an Ice Punch narrowly passed his ear. "After all, you need to be somewhat qualified to lead!" _The angrier he gets, the harder he wants to hit me – but he also misses more often!_

"Your insults make me cringe…" Weavile got a hold of the Grass-type Pokémon's leaf-like tail after evading a Quick Attack and pulled strongly to knock him off balance. "Not to worry: you won't meet our leader again…" he whispered in Raphi's long ear and raised his left claw to strike him down as soon as he would move.

"I'm sure he's a very nice guy." Sensing an opening, Leafeon's tail lightened up and became sharp as a razor. As a result, the edges cut into the flesh of the enemy's palm who yelped in surprise as blood started dripping from it, staining the grass in a red shade.  
He used the opportunity to look after Glace, who was busy launching Ice Beams at Crobat. Most of his attacks were laid-out physically, thus he had to close in to her very often.

"Did you forget about me?!"

Raphi turned his head, but it was too late: Weavile's severe Ice Punch slammed into his left shoulder and he got knocked back. His body swirled up dirt and patches of grass as he slid across the ground on his back. _Crud! I should've payed better attention!_ He struggled to his feet and stumbled backwards. _His attacks are way more powerful than mine!_ He looked at his bleeding shoulder and groaned with pain. _I could use his strength to my advantage tough…_

"Are you already giving up? I thought you said that you were going to beat me…"

 _I merely have to time it right!_

"You've been through quite a lot and thereby gave us so many unnecessary troubles… We just wanted to create a better world, but no! You had to step in to foil everything! Good job! Remember: YOU are the bad guy! And I truly hate you for that!" he shouted angrily and stormed in Raphi's direction with reeled-out claws.

"That's what you think." _I'm certain I've had my reasons for thwarting him._ Leafeon saw his chance and avoided the blow by leaning to the left. He grasped his opponent's forearm and supported himself with his strong hind legs. _My legs have always been very powerful… And now I've got four of them!_ He used the strength of his failed attack to lift him of the ground and to spin him in a circle by making use of the centrifugal force. He then cancelled his grip to catapult Weavile a few meters into a mossy boulder next to the river, cracking its surface.  
"There is no rule that states that Pokémon aren't allowed to get creative in battles!"

The Dark/Ice-type was breathing stertorously and covered his hip with his still intact palm. "Heh… As usual, you are a very creative fighter, regardless if you're a human or a Pokémon…" he coughed and drew upon the broken rock.

"I am not an impolite person, so thank you for the compliment." _That doesn't mean we're best buddies from now on…_

"…good thing I brought in another reinforcement!" He smirked as he got engulfed by a big shade.

Raphi's usually upright ears slowly dropped and stuck out to the sides, both shaped like an upside down 'U'. His pupils narrowed and he gasped for air at the frightening sight in front of him:

A gigantic Gyarados towered above the two fighters, covering the area in his shadow.

"Raphi, you remember my old friend, right? Oh, you don't? Don't distress yourself about it: I'm positive that you won't forget making his acquaintance this time…"


	12. Chapter 12: Downstream

_This day can't get any better…_ Raphi thought as he examined the gigantic Gyarados in front of him. "Oh, I see: Now that you realised that knowledge is more powerful than raw strength, you decide to play your trump card to simply outnumber us. It is safe for me to say that this isn't unfair at all!"

"What do you expect? After all, you were the first one to break the rules! Besides, since you accuse us of being the villains, it should be natural for us to play dirty…" Weavile folded his arms, smirking arrogantly. _Plus, we're done taking risks – it's not like we don't learn from our mistakes…_

"That's not a good excuse…" _What is he talking about? Which rules did I break?_ _…no matter! The situation wouldn't change a bit even if I knew…_ "Anyways, what are you waiting for? I'm giving you a head start here, so make your move!" _By letting them charge at me first, they can't predict_ how _I'll react to it!_

"If you insist!" Weavile said and leaped backwards to let Gyarados execute Giga Impact unhindered.

 _I thought he would start off big to intimidate me…_ Raphi ducked and sprinted forward to hit Weavile with a Quick Attack.

Weavile had underestimated his reflexes and thus had expected his own ally Gyarados to hit his target. _Damn!_ "There's no way you can w-" he shouted as soon as soon he had recovered, but was ultimately interrupted by his opponent who planted a punch on his chin, slamming his teeth together with great force and knocking him backwards into the torrential river.  
"Son of a- ghablbluh!" His voice was drowned by the cold water that filled his mouth as he got swept away downstream.

 _One down, two to go!_ Raphi turned his head to face Gyarados who had recovered from the Giga Impact.

The Water/Flying-type's eyes were gleaming with anger as he charged forward with his tail engulfed in a watery spiral.

 _Not really a good choice against me, but okay, I won't prevent him from using Aqua Tail on me._ The Grass-type chose to counter the move with Razor Leaf, creating an explosion as the two attacks collided. However, he misjudged the compression wave and got pushed into the river behind him in the process.  
"Brr!" _This is ice-cold!_ he thought and spit out water. He tried to fight against the stream, but it was simply too strong for him to overcome and he drifted away as a result.

Gyarados was still filled with rage and hence being a Water/Flying-type didn't hesitate to leap after him.

Raphi on the other hand had trouble to keep his head afloat: Not being used to have paws greatly affected his ability to swim, but at least he was able to determine the direction thanks to his new flat tail. _Who'd knew an extra body part could be so useful? Nonetheless… If I can't get a hold of the river bank or the wooden bridge ahead, I'll drown!  
_ He coughed as he swallowed a load of water. _I can't keep this up for long! The stream is simply too strong!  
_ Suddenly, someone grabbed the tip of Raphi's tail and pulled him out of the river onto a rock.

"I've got you!" Glace stood above him with a relieved expression on her face. Her smile changed to a playful grin as she continued: "You know, that is the third time I had to rescue you! I hope you'll return the favour!"  
She had been fighting Crobat nonstop close-by and was able to see the course of events. She had abruptly stopped battling the Poison/Flying Pokémon in order to position herself on one of the boulders that protruded from the water surface to catch her troubled friend.  
"Come on, let's get out of here!" she said and stretched out her paw as an offer to help him get up.

Leafeon smiled back and was about to grasp her paw when a familiar foe appeared on the right side of the river.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that!" Weavile shouted and kicked her violently into the water. He took her place and was now looming above Raphi.

Raphi pulled a face. "Is that supposed to be intimidating? Either way, don't think you can just skip bath time!" he answered, grabbed one of Weavile's legs and dove headlong after his companion, dragging his enemy with him.

The Dark/Ice-type Pokémon tried to hold on to the stone, but its surface was too smooth and he fell into the water. "What are you doi- brblguh!"

 _Due to his claws he should have a harder time to swim steadily…_ Leafeon thought and shook Weavile off who tried to get a grip on him. Raphi's evasive skills were of good use to avoid the rocks in his way as he chased after Glaceon. _Just a little more… I've almost got her!_

Gyarados' sudden roar caused him to flinch. The gigantic Pokémon had passed everyone underwater and had now emerged beneath the wooden bridge, destroying it in the process.

Droplets of water flowed down Raphi's face when he was forced to rethink the whole situation. _Crud! Wh-What next?! I can't deflect Gyarados' attacks AND protect Glace at the same time! Plus, I don't know where Weavile is – he might still be behind me, so I can't let my guard down either! Assuming that Gyarados uses one of his attacks that I'm already familiar with, he would most likely create huge waves and either sweep us away or wash us ashore. But what if he uses a move I don't know yet? How should I-_

"Snap out of it!" the Ice-type Pokémon shouted anxiously from somewhere to his left.

The Grass-type Pokémon had been way too concentrated on trying to predict his foe's movements that he completely missed the opportunity to react to them in the first place: Gyarados was now towering above him, his red eyes were gleaming maliciously and his sharp fangs were frozen solid while the stream carried Raphi directly to him with no meaning of escape.

In a desperate attempt to dodge the attack, Leafeon dove underwater, hoping to slip by his opponent.

Raphi realised that his efforts were in vain when Gyarados' ugly visage graced his sight and Ice Fang pierced his left upper leg. Blood poured heavily out of the four wounds after the fangs were withdrawn and tinted the water red.  
Leafeon let out a painful scream and involuntarily swallowed an immense amount of water. The sight of his own blood that was still leaking from him urged him to barf, but he was able to suppress it. His vision turned red and blurry as his senses drifted more and more towards unconsciousness - the fact that he was running out of air and that he was colliding with stones and pieces from the wooden bridge greatly contributed to it.

Some parts of the surface got turned into ice, limiting what Raphi assumed to be Gyarados maneuverability. Swift movements were carried out by the cloudy figures on it and the vague noises were reminiscent of an intense fight.

 _Glace… I… have t-to… h-… help….._

Raphi's limbs relaxed when the high loss of blood the lack of air and his overall exhaustion caused him to finally faint. A few tiny air bubbles ascended from his mouth as he got carried away by the stream.


	13. Chapter 13: Desanding Caves

"H-Hey! Are you awake? Hello-o?" a light, female voice emerged out of nowhere.

Raphi bat his eyelids. "G-… G-Glace… is that… y-you?" he mumbled in a hushed tone. _What happened? The last thing I can remember is… Oh no!_ "GLACE!" he cried out and leaped to his feet in an instant. The Grass-type Pokémon rapidly regretted his decision as he was overcome with extreme exhaustion. He broke down immediately as the contact of his injured foreleg with the ground sent jolts of pain through his limb and his head began spinning.

"Are y-you sure you're okay? You don't l-look so good…" the voice continued

"I-I'm fine, th-thanks…" _Wait a second, this voice doesn't belong to Glace!_ His pupils widened as he fully opened his eyes.

Glace was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a group of three young Pokémon looked down on him. They consisted of a male Riolu, a male Shinx and a female Deerling. The Fighting-type was standing a bit aside and was examining Leafeon cautiously, while the others had a more worried look on their faces.

Carefully avoiding to strain his left front leg again, Raphi slowly stood up using his three remaining feet. "Greetings…" he said and rubbed his eyes. They quickly grew accustomed to the darkness and he was able to survey his surroundings.

From what Raphi could tell, he was in a fairly large cave. He was sitting next to the dark water that continued deeper into the caverns at a tearing pace. _Huh. It appears that at some point the river from Roverside City must've led underground…  
_ Many gaps in the walls led to different tunnels. Some were big enough to house a dozen Rhyperiors and some were so small that only a Joltik could pass through. _  
_The ground consisted of black and grey rocks that were partially covered in light sand. _I wonder how the sand got here…  
_ Here and there dim rays of light shimmered through tight cracks in the cave ceiling, but they were fading more and more every minute, indicating that the sun was about to set. Long roots rarely fractured the lithic surface. They clasped the surrounding rocks and ended in the ground near or in the water. _So that's how these plants are able to get their nutrients… Interesting…_  
Every now and then, grains of sand trickled from the narrow fissures. _Are we under a desert?  
_ Loose pebbles disengaged themselves in the depths of another tunnel. They landed with a 'clunk' that echoed through the structure. _This cave must be gigantic!_

Finishing his investigation of the environment, Leafeon faced the other Pokémon again. _I should probably introduce myself if I don't want to appear impolite._ "I'm Raphi…" _They are all children - what are they doing at a dangerous place like this?_ "And you are…?"

The Riolu stepped forward, raising an eyebrow sceptically. _I can sense his aura... It seems a little odd, but still…_ His countenance brightened up. _That's a relief! He doesn't emanate any aggression at all._ "My name is Rio. I'm the leader of the Pokémon rescue-team 'Triumph'. These are my companions: Shane the Shinx and Delia the Deerling. We coincidentally saw you floating in the river unconsciously and pulled you out."

"Oh, really? In that case, I'd like to thank you all very much! That reminds me…" His vision darkened. "By any chance: Have you seen my friend, a female Glaceon? She and I also form an exploration team, yet we got separated during a fight with other Pokémon…" _It's possible that she stranded here too! I'd feel much more comfortable knowing if she's alright…_

Delia stared at the ground worryingly and stuttered with a high pitched voice: "I-I'm terribly sorry, b-but no, we haven't… Th-Though I'm pretty sure we'll find her at s-some point…" _…although I'm not that convinced myself…_

"Okay, thank you nonetheless." _'At some point'... Hrm. As expected, my suspicions were correct. This line proves to me that this tunnel is only a small section of a gigantic system of caves. That brings up the question:_ "Where exactly are we?" _I assume that this structure lies somewhere under the Fir Desert, evidenced by the amount of sand in this area and the infrequently placed roots. …could it be?_

Rio spoke with a dulled voice: "We are currently inside the Mystery Dungeon 'Desanding Caves'."

Raphi rolled his eyes and shook his head. _The inventor of these names must ADORE puns…_

The Fighting-type Pokémon sighed. "Thus the chances of getting out soon are very minimal."

 _That doesn't sound good... Glace told me about these so-called 'Mystery Dungeons': They are labyrinth-like structures with layouts impossible to keep track of. They can contain numerous floors full of traps, wild Pokémon and dangerous environments in general.  
Exits are rare and hard to find – even if you are able to locate one, it is often guarded by greedy and vicious Pokémon. As a result, some Pokémon that got trapped in a dungeon simply gave up on their hope of ever escaping and therefore started to live there.  
Moreover, early civilizations even used them as prisons, leaving the inmates the choice of either serving their sentence or exploring the dungeon and finding another exit – the rate of success was very low since most of the selected structures only had 1-3 gates…_  
"Then I guess you aren't here by choice either, am I right?"

"Yeah…" Shane's facial expression contained both anger and shame. "A few days ago, we found an entrance to this dungeon near the Fir Desert by coincidence on our way home. We were foolish enough to enter without scanning the surrounding area for possible threats first, thus we were unable to register a mischievous Cacturne that was lurking in the shadows. He waited until there was enough distance between us and the exit and then ambushed us. We tried to defend ourselves, but we quickly realised that, even though he was outnumbered, he was on a much higher level than all of us together! The battle ended abruptly when we were driven into a corner…" He shuddered at the thought what might have happened to them if they were knocked out or generally unable to flee.

Rio continued Shane's account: "There were two options: Struggling until fainting with a dubious fate afterwards or receding deeper into the cave. Deciding against an uncertain aftermath of losing, we used our only way of escape: Jumping down the escarpment next to us. Luckily, the aggressor didn't follow us – but we immediately found out why he didn't pursue us any farther: The ground was composed of smooth rocks and extremely slippery – there was no chance of footing at all! We slithered down into the depths of the cave until our slide ended in the torrential river.  
Consequently, my companions and I got swept away until I eventually got a hold of some roots. Shane and Delia were able to grab my tail and climb with me on solid floor, but our fourth team member Feena, a Fennekin, didn't make it – she got carried downstream and disappeared from our sights. Since then we've been stuck down here, wandering aimlessly through the dark tunnels and searching for our lost friend…"

Startling Raphi in the process, Delia suddenly cried out, her hoarsely voice reverberating from the walls: "Sh-She must be s-somewhere! There's n-no way she could b-be… well… you- you know!" Her eyes were filled with tears. "I won't believe it!"

Her whimpering slowly faded as Rio walked up to her and gently hugged her. "Don't worry, she's not. We will find her!" _I hope so…_

Being absorbed in thought, Raphi twitched his ears. _The chances of survival for a young Fire-type Pokémon in these environments are low, but I simply can't bring myself to dash her hopes. Furthermore, I can't really put up a fight in my current state…_ He examined his left foreleg. The blood had dried and formed a scab, but it was still hurting every time he strained it. _Hrm… Though perhaps I could walk using only my hind legs like Riolu – at least for a while…_  
He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.  
 _Then again, it doesn't matter how hopeless the situation is - my determination knows no limit! I'll track down Glace and Fennekin, escape from this dungeon with everyone else and find a chance to return to my world along the way!  
_ "LISTEN UP!" Raphi shouted and stomped on the ground with his right front foot. "If we want to get out of here – and we will – then we have to work together and plan ahead! First of all: Food! I allocate the few Oran Berries I have left to you – no worries, I'll be fine." _I'm guessing that, just like most pure Grass-type Pokémon, my body contains cells that are similar to plants. Therefore I can deduce that I should be able to survive from the nutrient-rich river. If not… Well… Best not to think about it!_ "Furthermore, since this water and the ground below are enough to nourish the trees above us, there are probably more plants down here – there may be some berry bushes, who knows?" _The fact that there are wild Pokémon as well further backs my assumption if they don't consist of predators only._ "Secondly, our line-up: Rio should lead the rest of us - his aura allows him to sense possible threats ahead of time; Plus he's been in this dungeon longer than me – it would be a great waste of time if we went through a tunnel that you three already explored without me knowing. I will go after him, followed by Shane and Delia. If anything bad happens, just shout… um… I don't know… shout… 'Divine Intervention'! Anyways, if anybody gets tired, tell me in an instant! And most important of all: ALWAYS listen to me! I'm the adult here, so if I tell you to do something, you do exactly that! This is for your own safety… Any questions?" Raphi paused for a second. _The last thing they need is an authority that's openly pessimistic, so I'll have to pull myself together if I don't want them to give up on hope. They are in need of a strong leader now…_  
"No? Excellent. Let's go."


	14. Chapter 14: New Encounters

Glace gasped anxiously. _Footsteps! Someone's coming right this way!_

She had barely survived the fight with Crobat and Gyarados. To her luck, Weavile was nowhere to be seen after Raphi had dragged him into the water – unfortunately, the same applied to the Grass-type Pokémon. Gyarados caused much havoc and destroyed parts of the riverside, causing rubble and dirt to fly through the air. In his blindness rage, he often got in the way of his fellow Crobat, greatly affecting his sight on Glaceon.  
Using the Chaos to her advantage, she managed to form a dense icy container around herself to carry her downstream unnoticed. Gyarados and Crobat were too concentrated on Glaceon's shape that they completely missed the hollow cube of ice drifting by with her under it.  
When she was about to run out of fresh air, she simply lifted the box from her body and swam to the riverside afterwards.  
Surveying the landscape after Glace went out of the water, she had noticed that she was in a large forest - but it was not just any kind of forest: There were all sorts of flowers blooming everywhere! Lianas hung down from the exotic trees and mushrooms in all shapes and sizes graced their barks. The dim light of the setting sun shimmered through the lush leaves, visualising hundreds of floating pollen. The yellow sky was only partially visible through the treetops and scattered with small hunks of clouds.  
Upon perceiving the sound of nearing footsteps, Glace quickly hid in a bush next to her.

 _From what I can hear, it appears to be a group of two Pokémon…_ She tried to make out their profiles but was unable to because of the bush blocking her view. _I hope they didn't see me!_

The duo stopped moving at once. Apart from the rustling of the leaves in the breeze and the chirping of a group of Kricketunes close-by, the area was completely silent.

Glace held her breath. _Wh-What now? I can't smell them since the wind wafts in their direction… However, they can't vanish all of a sudden, can th-_ She yelped fearfully as the top of the bush was abruptly torn wide open.

"See? I knew I heard something!" a voice exclaimed in front of Glace.

The Ice-type Pokémon didn't hesitate to launch an Aqua Pulse straight into the newcomer's head without even taking a look at him. The attack caused him to be knocked back and to land on his back. She jumped out of the bush and took on a defensive stance, ready to fight for her life.

To her surprise, the Pokémon sat up and started laughing. "I suppose I deserved that!" It was a Nidoking, a Poison/Ground-type. "Sorry for my rash behaviour, I didn't mean to scare you!"

"You have to excuse my friend." Nidoking's companion, a Nidoqueen, entered Glaceon's vision and spoke with a friendly and calm voice: "He can be a bit overwhelming at times, but he doesn't intent anything bad, trust me."

Glace just stood there, confused. _Okay…_ "Um… Don't worry about it…" _They don't seem to pose a threat._ "Who are you two anyway? And could you please tell me where I am?"

"Of course." Nidoqueen stepped forward. "I'm Nina, and he-" - she pointed at Nidoking - "…is called Nido."

"Very creative, I know." he said and chuckled.

"My name, Glace, isn't really inventive either… So you're not alone!" _I always thought I was the only Pokémon with an unoriginal name…_

"Now to answer your second question…" Nina continued. "As you can see, the whole environment is – despite the season – covered in lush flora. To say it out loud: We are currently in 'Florest', a beautiful forest that houses all kinds of Pokémon and plant life – some even built a small town called 'Florest Village' somewhere in these woods. We shouldn't be that far away from it, but…"

Nido took the words out of Nina's mouth: "Well, we were on our way there and… got lost… Embarrassing, right? But hey, we ran across you instead and hence we found the river as well!" He began to examine her closely. "And by the looks of it, just at the right time – what the heck happened to you?! Your entire body is totally bruised!" Reaching in his grey bag, he pulled out a Sitrus Berry and handed it to her.

Glace nodded and gratefully consumed it in small bites. "Thanks a lot, I already feel better. My friend and I got attacked by a group of Pokémon… That reminds me: Did you happen to pass by a male Leafeon? We got separated during the fight and I haven't seen him since then! He should've stranded somewhere just like me! I really need to know if he is fine!" she said with a desperate tone.

The cry of a Starly disrupted the short oppressive silence that bestowed upon the area before Nina answered: "Uh… no, sorry. Unfortunately, there was no sign of a Leafeon. But don't worry, the rivers tend to be pretty shallow in Florest. Furthermore, he is a Grass-type Pokémon, so a little bit of water should deal him no real damage." she said encouragingly.

"He probably just stranded farther downstream." Nidoking mentioned. "You see, the river ends in a small lake that's located in the center of Florest Village. There's a good chance that he got washed ashore there and was already noticed by the villagers!"

"Yeah, you're probably right…" _After all, he did get swept away before me…_ "Besides, he is very resilient and persevering after all…" _Not to mention completely stubborn! Funny, that's what I like about him…_

"Your friend sounds like an interesting character." Nina smiled meaningfully. "If he is as persistent as you claim, then you two will reunite in no time!" She paused shortly. "I have to ask… Would you like to travel alongside us to Florest Village? Since we'll be heading in the same direction anyway, maybe you'd like some company?"

"Thanks, I'll gladly accept your offer!" _Don't worry Raphi, I'll find you, wherever you are! We are a team, and a teammate never abandons the other member!_

…

The three Pokémon had been walking for a few hours westwards alongside the stream until it eventually flowed into a lake and Florest Village came into their sight.

 _Finally! I thought we'd never make it before midnight!_ Glace thought and breathed a sigh of relief. _I don't want any more dangerous encounters for today!_

The buildings were constructed around the lake in the center. The small structures mostly consisted of logs and were tied together by lianas. Layers of linked leaves were used as curtains for the windows and doorways. The window ledges were decorated with pots painted in vivid colours containing all kinds of flowers.  
Paths made of pale pebbles were laid-out between the individual houses, connecting them with each other. Several gangplanks reached out over the dark water surface, surrounded by reed that wafted in the slight breeze.  
The stars sparkled in the sky, illuminating the almost waveless lake alongside the moon.

"This hotel seems to be still open for business – maybe we could ask the owner about your friend." Nina suggested.

Glace nodded and entered 'Bayleef's Comfy Accomodations', followed closely by Nidoking and Nidoqueen.

The building was – like the others – constructed out of logs. Wooden planks covered the floor. A decorative flower veil hung on the wall and the seating underneath was expertly carved out of a dead tree.

 _This is definitely an improvement from the Dodrio Bro's Hotel…_

The male Bayleef behind the reception desk looked up confused from his reading as he noticed the three newcomers. _I forgot to hang the 'closed'-sign out again, didn't I? My addiction to these kind of stories is getting out of hand… Oh well…_ "Welcome to Florest Village and my humble establishment!" he stated and quickly hid his book in a filing. "What brings you here at this late hour?"

"Good evening! We are looking for my friend, a Leafeon – he is a little bigger than I am, his green sprouts are more verdant than usual and he walks around with a serious look on his face most of the time… Did you happen to see a Pokémon like him today?" Glace asked nervously, afraid of a negative answer. Unfortunately, her anxiety was justified.

"No, sorry, there was no sign of a Leafeon on this day…" Bayleef's gaze was apprehensive. "Has he gone missing?"

 _There's still no hint to his location… or his well-being in general… Shoot!_ "He and I got swept away by the stream – I got washed ashore a few hours eastwards from here, but he was nowhere to be found! We thought he might have floated all the way to this village…"

"That's impossible –the watercourses in the vicinity are too shallow to drift that far." the Grass-type Pokémon pointed out.

Nido made himself comfortable on the seating while Nina stepped alongside the Ice-type and comforted her.

 _We should've found him by now! Unless…_ Glaceon gulped and wiped away the cold sweat on her forehead. Her eyes started to fill with tears. _No, I have to pull myself together and perish the thought! Raphi told me that he will accomplish his goals no matter what! That tad amount of water won't stop him! But where could he be?_

"Perhaps you'd like to take a look at a map of the whole region?" Using his vines, Bayleef pulled out a folded sheet of paper and spread it on the reception desk.

Nido stood up from his seat, tried to hide a yawn and then walked up to the other Pokémon.

"Thanks." Wasting no time, Glace leaned over the detailed map and carefully examined it. She let out a sigh of relief. _YES! I knew it, there is still hope! He could've-_ Her facial expression darkened and she shuddered fearfully when she looked closer. _Oh no… I don't like the look of that!_

The map depicted that Raphi could've stranded at a totally different location: Shortly after the point where the fight with Weavile's gang took place, the river divided into two separate streams. The one to the left – in the direction of flow – runs through the Florest and ends in the lake in Florest Village. However, the right river channel flows to the Fir Desert and eventually leads underground, passing through one of the biggest and toughest dungeons in the region:  
The 'Desanding Caves'.


	15. Chapter 15: Descending Deeper

"GET DOWN!" Raphi shouted and thrusted Rio aside, holding his head down onto the ground as the Dark Pulse narrowly missed the two Pokémon and shattered the rocks behind them. _I hate this dungeon!_ he thought and threw an angry look at their opponent, a Crawdaunt.

The Water/Dark-type squinted his eyes and raised his sharp pincers menacingly, ready for the next offensive.

"Rio! When I say 'now', take cover behind the rocks where Shane and Delia are hiding! Understood?!" Leafeon yelled impatiently. _I'll think of something!_

The Fighting-type returned his gaze anxiously. "B-But what about y-"

"NOW!" He jumped and unleashed a Sand Attack to temporarily blind his foe. Peering back out of the corner of his eye, he perceived that Riolu got away safely and unnoticed. _Okay, how do I defeat this guy?_ Taking advantage of Crawdaunt's blindness, Raphi quickly surveyed his surroundings. _The terrain can always act as a very liable support – is there anything I can use against him?! Let's see, Crawdaunt and I are in the center of a lithic platform that connects two tunnels with each other and splits the river in half as well. The platform itself is decently covered in sand that rarely trickles from the gaps in the roof. The tunnel to my right is the one we originally came from, the one to my left is where the children are currently hiding. To get to them, I would have to jump over a few rocks that protrude from the stream. But before crossing them, I have to make sure Crawdaunt is unable to follow us! Furthermore, I have to keep an eye out for the giant waterfall that drops into the depth behind me…_

"Did you forget about me?!" Crawdaunt chuntered in a raspy voice.

"Oh shi- AUGH!" Raphi was so focused on his thoughts that he completely failed to avoid his enemy's massive Double-Edge, causing him to fling backwards, only barely getting a hold of the ledge with the claws of his right forepaw. _Drat! I should've paid better attention!_ Gulping nervously, he peeked over his shoulder. _Oh boy…_ The lower part of his body was submerged in the torrent, making it impossible for his struggling hind legs to find a foothold. The waterfall was swooshing powerfully, reminding Raphi of the eminent danger about 10 meters behind him.

Noticing that the intruder of his territory was unable to battle, he slowly walked towards Raphi with a malicious grin on his face.

Leafeon gritted his teeth angrily and tried to drag the rest of his body onto the platform. However, his struggles were in vain, almost causing his paw to slip off – he only managed to pull himself a little closer, placing his chin onto the ledge. _The lithic surface is too slick! And I can't really put my left foreleg to use because it still hasn't fully healed yet!_

Crawdaunt had reached him in the meantime and looked down on him threateningly. "No one enters my domain without permission…"

 _What do I do, what do I do?! There's no way I'll just accept defeat! Wait…_

"…and those who do…" When he raised his right claw above his head, it glowed in a white light, indicating that he was about to attack with Crabhammer.

 _Ha! That's it!_

"…will be PUNISHED!" Swinging his pincer like a hammer, it bolted down with enormous speed.

 _Perfect._ Raphi smirked confidently as he simply let go of the ledge in the last second. In his eyes, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. His opponent gasped in astonishment as the mighty Crabhammer missed its target. His claw was now in excellent reaching distance, directly in front of the Grass-type's face. "Ready for the ride of your life?!" he shouted gleefully and his retracted arm darted forward.  
Being petrified with horror by the sudden turn of tables, Crawdaunt was unable to react even in the slightest way at the sudden grab of his right arm, his heavy stance preventing him from falling into the water too (for now). Raphi used the Water/Dark-type's red limb as a handle to swing on his back. The irregularities in thickness of his hard shell made an easy footing, enabling him to push off with his strong hind legs effortlessly. The baffled Crawdaunt got knocked into the stream by the Verdant-Pokémon's jump, disappearing in the waves while Leafeon landed fiercely on the platform.

Panting heavily, Raphi stayed down, being too exhausted to move for the moment. "I hope everybody saw how amazing that was, because I am NOT doing this again…" he mumbled quietly. He opened his eyes widely as the pain from his manoeuvre kicked in. "AUGH! My leg! I knew using both forelegs to pull myself on him was a bad idea! Ouch!" he groaned and rubbed his aching limb.

"M-Mr. Raphi, are y-you alright?" the high-pitched female voice of Deerling sounded from their hiding place. "I-Is it safe to come out y-yet?"

"Yes… but next time, see for yourself - you wouldn't want to ask the enemy the same question, would you?" He slowly sat up, carefully avoiding to strain his wounded foot any further.

"Wow! That was soooo awesome!" Shinx cheered loudly while sprinting in Leafeon's direction, his voice echoing through the caves. He almost tripped before coming to an abrupt halt in front of the adult. "First, Crawdaunt was all like 'You're gonna die!' and when he raised his Claw I thought you were done for; but then you are all like 'Why don't you join me in the water? It's lovely!' and then you used his body to catapult yourself onto the platform! That was so cool!"

Raphi blushed slightly at Shane's praise and grinned. "Well, uh… yeah, I guess it was pretty si- AUGH!" He winced and grimaced as a jolt of pain bolted through his body.

"And you did it all even though you're wounded!" the Electric-type squealed excitedly while shaking his injured leg rapidly before realising his actions. "…oh." The little Pokémon quickly let go and backed off. "S-Sorry…" he whispered and looked to the ground ashamedly.

"N-No worries… I'm alright…" Raphi shook his head and straightened up. "Anyways, let's keep moving." _I'm sick of this dungeon! It's been five days and there's still no sign of an exit, not to mention Glace and Feena!_

The presence of plants (or even their roots) had become less and less frequent and had been lacking at all at some point. Only the gaps in the roof had remained, but there hadn't been a ray of light for a long time, engulfing the caves in complete darkness. Since then, Raphi had led the others through the dark tunnels instead of Rio.

With the constant fear of losing one another, they had slithered down moist, slick slopes. The torrential river had accompanied them almost incessantly, only being absent visually at times, but they had always been (and still were) aware of its steady swooshing.  
They had climbed up steep cliffs, accidentally kicking off pebbles in the process that had then thudded onto the ground (occasionally far) below them, creating ominous echoes.

The group had been forced to switch to the other side of the river frequently, otherwise they would've been stuck at dead ends. In the majority of cases, they had been bound to backtrack their steps (which wasn't very easy in the dark) in order to traverse the stream.  
When they had been fortunate enough to locate a couple of rocks sticking out of the water next to each other, the four Pokémon had had to be very careful not to slip on the wet surface.  
In a few situations they had possessed less luck: Looking for spots shallow enough to wade through (and not get swept away by the current) had been their task if there had been no decent passages. This had proved to be quite the challenge since Raphi could only use three out of his four legs and Delia was troubled due to her hooves' grip on the slick stones. In some instances, the children had been too small to cross the river on their own as well. As a result, Leafeon had carried them on his back to the other side, which had worn him out greatly.

 _Worst of all, the deeper we advance the stronger the hostile Pokémon become! Plus…_ The Grass-type Pokémon stopped amidst his thoughts as he perceived a distant rumbling. Despite that it wasn't very loud and the vibrations were hardly perceptible, both Shane and Delia cowered behind Leafeon while Rio glanced at him with a concerned look. Once it was over, Raphi scanned his surroundings sceptically. _Right on cue… We keep hearing these dull rumbling sounds on occasion – whatever they might be: I've got a bad feeling about this… Moreover, the fact that it's getting more frequent and intense the farther we go isn't helping…_

"T-There it w-was again! I clearly h-heard it!" Delia stuttered, trembling with fear. "W-Why d-does this keep h-happening?!"

Raphi turned his head to face her. "Don't think about it. It's probably just another rock slide, nothing more. With so many wild Pokémon inhabiting this dungeon, there are bound to be turf wars. As a result, the structures are afflicted by these conflicts. Besides, they appear to be very far away and we rarely hear them at all, so it's best for you to ignore it at the moment." he said with a calm voice to put her mind at ease. _I wish I could believe in my own words, but by telling her this instead I might be able to stop her and the others from panicking._  
"So: without further ado, let's continue on our way." he stated and walked past the younger Pokémon on his unharmed three legs. _Whatever's causing these trembles – I have a bad feeling about it…_

Delia opened her mouth in protest, but she simply sighed silently and followed Raphi, Rio and Shane into the next tunnel.


	16. Chapter 16: In Search Of An Entrance

_Why, Raphi, WHY?! Why do you always get caught up in these dangerous situations?!_ Glace trembled with fear. "Maybe he got washed ashore before the river led underground?" She bowed her head and sighed. "Even if that's most likely not the case, there's no way I'm going to give up hope! If I can't find him anywhere near the riverside, I'll head into this dungeon myself!" the Ice-type Pokémon stated and stomped on the ground with one of her forelegs, underlining her determination to go through with her plan.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Bayleef looked up from the map and gazed at her worryingly. "You've probably heard that some Mystery Dungeons were used as prisons a long time ago, right?"

"They were?" Nido raised his eyebrows inquiringly. "I wasn't aware of that – it sounds horrible!"

The Grass-type continued with a serious facial expression: "It was, as a matter of fact. If a Pokémon was found guilty of perpetrating a severe crime, it was forced to serve his sentence in a dungeon. Depending on the graveness, the criminals were sent to different 'prisons'. For example, if you had destroyed someone's property, it was highly likely you would've been jailed in the 'Bark Cave', a - in comparison - fairly friendly Mystery Dungeon, mostly inhabited by Grass- and Dark-types. As a result, the majority of prisoners just waited until they were released. However…" He shut his eyes in anger.  
Bayleef was a very peaceful Pokémon and lived in an area where violence was pretty much unheard of. Therefore, he despised everyone that dared to disturb the peace. "…if you committed, say… mass murder…" _or worse…_ "…then you surely would've been imprisoned in the 'Desanding Caves' for the rest of your life. This dungeon was – and still is to this day - one of the most dangerous places in these lands. It had very high security standards regarding the exits back then: They were either filled up completely or guarded by great forces. Needless to say, once you entered these dark tunnels, you were practically bound to never see the light of day again…" He paused and looked at the others.

Glaceon bit her lip and stared pale-faced at the ground. All this talk about it being a hopeless situation had scared her greatly.

To comfort her, Nina rested her arm on the 'Fresh Snow' Pokémon's shoulder. "But that was ages ago, wasn't it? Surely, most of these criminals - if not all of them - should be dead by now! After all, using dungeons as prisons has been forbidden for years since it was considered 'too cruel' by the general public."

"True, true. Many exits were even reopened by volunteers. Unfortunately, the majority of inmates were so embittered and hateful towards the outside world that they simply refused to come out - some even attacked the poor helpers! It is unheard-of what happened to these cruel Pokémon afterwards… But it is generally known that this area should be avoided implicitly: Travellers have reported an eerie underground rumbling in the region surrounding the Desanding Caves, indicating that there still is… something.  
All in all, it's presumably best to leave it alone… Who knows what could happen? Though if you want to search for your friend despite my warnings, I'd recommend you to locate the dungeon's exits. As I previously mentioned, there are only few of them."  
He paused to look directly at Glaceon. "That doesn't mean it'll be a piece of cake. The subterrestrial structures are huge, covering the entire Fir Desert and even parts of the surrounding environment. In order to find them, you'd have to scan the dungeon's borders for gates. However: Keep in mind that those borders are rarely visible on the surface – you can only guess where they are by examining the elevation of the ground and the boundaries of the desert. Yet, with enough patience, you might succeed."  
Bayleef nodded before concluding his statement: "That's all I can say – the rest is up to you. Good luck."

…

"I think I found something!" Nido shouted, turning his head so the two female Pokémon could hear him better.

"Really?" Glaceon's vision brightened while she quickly sprinted in the direction of the call and went around a few dead bushes. She then came face-to-face with Nidoking, who eyed her with a rather disappointed expression.

"Sorry… false alarm… It's just a pit with no entrances or something alike…" He sighed as Glace bowed her head in sorrow.

"Thank you nonetheless…" _It's been almost a week and there's still no sign of any access to the dungeon!_ Her eyes were almost completely shut, yet she could make out her surroundings nonetheless as she trudged back over the knoll where Nina was waiting.

The environment was split into two halves:  
One part consisted of dry, brown-green grass. Individual bushes were spread across the undulating terrain. Most leaves were a mildly darker shade of brown than the branches themselves. Some had already fallen off, indicating that winter was coming nearer and nearer.  
The other half belonged to the Fir Desert, which was shown by the huge amount of sand covering the ground. Every now and then, the eponymous fir trees stood out from the otherwise flat landscape. Due to its few obstacles, a strong wind wafted over the area, carrying dust and grains of sand with it over long distances.

"Don't worry, we'll find an entrance eventually! If we are patient enough, we will succeed!" Nidoqueen said and patted Glace on the back. "It's just a matter of time until you're reunited with your friend."

"Thanks… Although I'm usually optimistic, I'm starting to doubt his abilities…" The Ice-type paused to sniff. "He always boasts about how he's so full of determination and that he's such a skilful strategist… Well, to be fair, he has proven more than once that he's capable of watching out for himself and getting out of sticky situations, but still…" _…I fear for his well-being…_

Nina walked next to her without a word for a short while. "You really like him, do you? He's more to you than just a friend, is he?"

Glace bowed her head and nodded slightly. "There's something otherworldly about him…" _Quite literally._ "He's like a walking mystery! It's strange, because… I don't even know him that well. Yet… I can tell, he's been through very rough times. Not only do I know his backstory,…" _Or at least, what he remembered of it…_ "…but I can see it in his eyes. He often gazes into the distance with half-closed eyes, like his mind is somewhere else entirely. From the outside, you won't be able to spot anything peculiar. Once you look deeper however… you can see fragments of his past." She sighed and shut her eyes for a moment. "Despite his tries to hide them all deep inside him, I was still able to sense the pain and sorrow he endured. They're the reasons why he is the way he is. And I both pity and admire him for that. I pity him for being rejected and looked down on, and I admire him for his strength and determination. Even though the odds were completely against him, he managed to pull through and get out on top of it all. But ever since I met him…"

The female Poison/Ground-type Pokémon petted her head while Glace was holding back her tears.

"…I can see that there are new burdens on his shoulders, burdens that weigh a lot more than the previous ones. His endurance is constantly tested, and even though it appears to be a hopeless situation, he doesn't give up. No matter what happens, he always gets back up."  
She paused shortly before continuing: "I think this is something we all should aspire, and that's why I admire and care about him as much as I do." _Even if Raphi himself doesn't seem to notice it…_

For a while, the two walked quietly without a word while Nido searched for entrances farther ahead.

After a few minutes, Nidoqueen broke the silence: "Sounds to me like a strong personage. Mental capabilities are often underestimated in a world where brute strength usually counts the most. If what you've said is true - and I'm certain that it is - your friend is absolutely nothing to be sneezed at, especially when it comes to will power. And from what I can tell, you're very likely to gain his attention by following his own good example: Not giving up despite the odds."  
She smiled and gave the smaller Pokémon a consoling hug. "I'm sure you are going to reunite with him soon. Believe in yourself and your friend."

Their hug was disturbed by Nidoking's distant voice: "Hey! Ladies! I think I found something - for real this time!"

The looked at each other for a moment. Both their facial expressions brightened as they ran towards him.


	17. Chapter 17: Unpleasant Discoveries

"I am so tired…" Delia said and lay down onto the thin layer of sand that was covering the hard ground.

"That's exactly why we're resting here. We've been walking throughout the whole day, so make sure to get plenty of sleep." Raphi stretched his limbs and suppressed a yawn. "As usual, I'll be on guard for over the first half of the night – I'll awaken Shane at some point since it's his turn tonight."

The children nodded and tried to get as comfortable as possible on the lithic surface. Their breath became more consistent as they gradually fell asleep.

Leafeon on the other hand watched his surroundings carefully. However, as time elapsed, his eyelids became heavy and he had a hard time keeping himself from falling asleep.

As a result of his sleepiness, the Grass-type Pokémon was greatly frightened by Rio when he suddenly said to him 'Who are you?'

Raphi immediately leaped up, assuming a defensive stance on the spot. Once he realised it was Riolu who spoke, his horrent fur flattened again and he sat down. "Don't startle me like that…" He closed his eyes in relief and exhaled slowly.

"I wanted to wait until everyone else was asleep so I could ask you this." The Fighting-type stepped forward. "Now, answer me: Who are you?" His red eyes glowed brightly as he surveyed him precisely.

"W-What do you mean?" Smiling sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head nervously. "I'm Raphi, a Leafeon - what's not to understand?"

"Wrong. Who are you really?" The small Pokémon squinted his eyes, looking at him sternly. "As you may know, Riolu and Lucario can sense and read auras - and in my entire life, I never came across any unusual or irregular ones… But… your aura…" He paused and gaped at his counterpart in disbelief. "It's… i-it's completely abnormal! It's just so distorted and incongruous… I simply can't comprehend it! It's…" Realising that he was getting too loud, he lowered his voice. "…it's i-impossible!" His serious countenance changed to a worried and anxious one once Raphi closed his eyes and didn't react at all for a while.

Finally, after what felt like hours, he whispered: "…you don't want to know…" _He's too young to know it. He wouldn't understand it. He wouldn't believe it._ His head was averted, preventing Rio from viewing his facial expression.

However, that didn't keep him from perceiving Raphi's feelings through his aura capabilities:  
Sorrow. Fear. Anger. Regret. Uncertainty. Determination.  
Riolu teared up as he encountered these emotions. Wiping away a tear, he asked one more time with a brittle, soft-spoken voice: "W-Who are y-you? I n-need to know… Otherw-wise… how could I… how could we trust you?"

Another period of oppressive silence followed until it was broken by Raphi's sigh. _I guess I can't fool him…_ "Are you absolutely certain you want to know the truth?"

Rio nodded slowly in response. He was starting to doubt his decision to confront him about his strange aura when he heard the graveness in his voice.

"…alright…" His vision darkened. "I uh, I am… n-not from this world…"

Not really knowing how to react, the Fighting-type stood there with an open mouth, appalled, trembling and knitting his brows. "…wh-what…? B-But- ah? H… How in the…?"

"Whether you believe me or not – it's true." Raphi mumbled and stared blankly at the wall. _Unfortunately…_

Eventually, Riolu calmed down, though he continued to shake. "H-How could this b-be? Yet i-if you're really telling the truth…" _Hrm… That could actually explain his peculiar aura! Still…_ "Where a-are you from then?!"

Raphi sighed again. "For some unknown reason, I have amnesia, so I can only remember very little... My name. My personality. Basically, my identity." _An identity that I don't even resemble physically anymore..._ "Besides that, nothing remained… I don't even know how and why I got here!" _But I'll get my memories back somehow… I hope._

"S-So you really are a L-Leafeon from another world…" _It's hard to believe, but I don't sense any lies in his words…_

Raphi grimaced self-consciously. "Well, I wouldn't necessarily say 'Leafeon', but-"

"What?!" Rio's pupils shrank drastically in surprise. "You're telling me that you were a different Pokémon before?! Seriously?!" He grabbed the Grass-type by his shoulders and looked deep into his brown eyes.

"W-Well…" He nervously wiped away a tear of cold sweat. "I wouldn't necessarily say… 'Pokémon'…"

Riolu quickly loosened his grip and stepped backwards, being struck with awe. With a low, anxiety-filled voice, he whimpered: "W-W… What were y-you then-n…?"

"…" _Do I really want to tell him?_ "I am… I was uh… h-h…" He bit his lip and frowned, fearing the outcome of the conversation. "That is none of your concern."

"B-But-"

"I said, that is none of your concern!" _I don't want to talk about it!_ "It's none of your business!"

The grey and blue Pokémon wanted to object, but the angry look on Raphi's half-averted face made him keep quiet. "F-Fine..." _However, I still need him to clarify something._ "One more thing though…" He sniffed and folded his arms. "Can we trust you?"

Raphi glanced back at the child silently. "Yes. Yes you can." he answered after a short while. _If I wanted to harm you, I would've done it already._ "Now get some sleep."

…

 _There it is again! Whatever's causing that rumbling, we're definitely getting closer to the source…_ The children's faces reflected Leafeon's own worries.

In the morning after his nightly conversation with Riolu, they had quickly eaten their last remaining berries and then had continued their journey through the 'Desanding Caves'. Rio had been quiet more often than not, eying Raphi sceptically every now and then. The other Pokémon soon joined in on the lack of conversations as the trembles started occurring at very frequent intervals.

"W-Why does it currently h-happen almost every m-minut-te?!" Delia finally broke the silence.

"…I don't know…" _The whole structure's rocking because of it, so we have to be cautious in order to avoid the falling rubble… Well, at least my leg's almost healed!_ His ears twitched while crouching down when another tremor caused the tunnels to quake. As soon as it was over, he straightened up, raising his left eyebrow. _Did I mishear that just now, or was there a faint roar in between the rumbling? Hrm…_

The group continued their journey through the various caverns, only stopping over during the common trembles that kept getting louder and more intense the farther they progressed.

Wild Pokémon became very seldom, and if Raphi managed to catch a glimpse of one, it immediately fled and disappeared into the darkness. _Strange. Why would they behave like that? Perhaps there's a great danger ahead…_ He turned around a corner. _…or it's merely another dead end. Great…_ Sighing disappointedly, he went back.

Riolu, who had been right behind the Grass-type, retained him. "Wait! Look closer… There's a narrow gap inside the wall - and we might just be able to squeeze through it!"

Leafeon blinked a few times and squinted his eyes. "Yeah, you're right! Okay, let me try first, I'm the tallest… If I can go through, so can you."

After a while, the others followed him.

 _This fissure is extremely tight… And I didn't expect the wall to be that thick too, but hey, I'm almost throu-woah!_ As the strongest and nearest shock yet took place, Raphi accidentally tripped and fell out of the crack, landing on a rock headlong. "Ow! My head…"

"Raph-AAH!" the children cried and tumbled out of the narrow opening one after another, colliding with the adult.

"GH!" Raphi coughed from the extra weight on his body. "Would you please get off of me…?" _Whew…!_ "And be quieter! We don't want any possible threats to know our location!" he whispered with a serious tone and examined the area anxiously. _Hrm… I can definitely see to the other side of this chamber thanks to the scattered crystals that are illuminating the surroundings slightly... Excellent. And… huh? This cave appears to be completely circular! Is it a dome? Just what is this place? …well, the ground inclines downhill towards the center where it resembles a big basin because of the dip… That way, it kind of looks like a giant arena. Furthermore, the wall seems to be very thick too, indicated by the amount of… Oh-oh._  
He gulped nervously. _…deep craters that cover the lithic surface…_ "Oh dear." _Could this be a special prison deliberately designed to keep something locked away forever? That could certainly explain the scarred wall... Plus, I don't see any exits either… If my suspicion that the rumblings originate from here is correct, then I want to get out of this place as quickly as possible!_  
The Grass-type turned around, facing the small Pokémon. "Kids, I'm having a very, VERY bad feeling about this area – let's get out of here… NOW."

They nodded, clearly sharing his discomfort.

"Alright. Delia, you go firs-OH SHI-!" Leafeon leaped forward, thrusting them all aside just in time. He barely noticed the ominous shadow of a creature lurking in the air above them before a Hyper Beam swept over their heads with enormous intensity, hitting the crack instead, causing a rock slide and blocking their way out. Raphi coughed due to the dust in his throat, rubbing his lightly but still injured foreleg. _Agh… No! Our only escape route…!_ He gritted his teeth and straightened up, shaking off the dirt on his fur. His eyes widened in fear and he backed off as he was confronted with the aggressor.  
His leafy ears flattened and his heart rate jumped immediately at the sight of the Pokémon that was looming viciously above him: It was a Hydreigon!

* * *

 **Author's note:**

As always, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any criticism, please don't hesitate to tell me if you can spare the time - I highly appreciate it!


	18. Chapter 18: Lost And Found

"Phew… that was the last one…" Nidoking leaned on one of the rocks he just removed from the opening, exhausted from the hard work.

"Nido! You did it! You're so strong!" Nina cheered and embraced him unexpectedly.

"… Hehe, I do what I can." He patted her on the shoulder.

"Glace!" She smiled enthusiastically while glancing at her. "We finally have access to the Desanding Caves! Isn't that great?"

The Ice-type nodded in response. "It certainly is!" _Just hold on a little longer Raphi, I'm coming!_ She gulped nervously before entering the Dungeon through the now cleared gap.

Due to their massive bodies, it was more difficult for the two Poison/Ground-type Pokémon to squeeze through the outside wall, though they eventually managed to.

 _It doesn't appear to be that dangerous…_ Glaceon thought and examined her surroundings. The ground around the entrance was covered with light sand, which also trickled from a few holes in the ceiling at irregular intervals. Stalactites and stalagmites of various shapes and sizes graced the transition to a tunnel that led deeper into the cave system. _However… I can certainly feel the steady tension and uncertainty in the close air. Moreover… looks can be deceiving._

After agreeing on the unsettling atmosphere, the group journeyed through the complicated structure hastily - they didn't want to spend any more time than necessary in it, especially since the frequent trembles freaked them out.  
For the purpose of not getting lost, they left claw marks every now and then that displayed an arrow, pointing to the path they came from.

A long while later the three Pokémon arrived at a point where the tunnel divided into two separate ones.

"Great… now what?" Glace peered at each channel individually.

"Simple: We split up as well! You explore the right tunnel accompanied by Nina and I'll go to the left. If anyone of us hits a dead end, backtrack to this spot using the claw marks and then either wait here or continue along the other path."

As soon as Nido had assured them that he was capable enough of defending himself, the two female Pokémon approved of his plan hesitantly and did as suggested.

…

"Shh! I think I hear something…"

Nina followed Glaceon's advice and shut her mouth, ducking behind some rocks that were big enough to conceal her tall figure while the Ice-type sneaked a peek of the scenery near their hideout. Her eyes widened in surprise when a familiar foe entered her line of sight.

"You can run, but you can't hide little fox!" Weavile remarked spitefully and smirked. He had cornered a young Fennekin that helplessly looked around for a way out, yet to no avail.

"L-Leave me alone you big m-m-meanie!" she cried with a high-pitched voice and backed off against the wall. "G-Get away from me-e!"

"Huh…? That's not very nice – talking to me in such a harsh tone…" The Dark/Ice-type presented his sharp claws and moved in closer. "Why don't you stay for dinner, dinner?"

"G-… Glace! We should do something! … …Glace?" Nidoqueen whispered to her side, but Glaceon was already up on her feet, jumping over the formation of stones and confronting the wicked Pokémon.

"Stop right there!"

Weavile chuckled and turned around slowly. "Well, well, well… If it isn't my old friend Glace… Missed me?" Upon seeing Nina who also came out of hiding, he grinned. "I see… Due to your own incompetence, you brought someone to battle for you! How cute…"

"Pah!" _How can he be this calm?! He's outnumbered!_ "Wh-What are you doing here?! And what were you thinking of doing to this poor child?!"

He stared at her questioningly. "…what did it look like? I'm starving! You know, when we had our little… ahem… 'dispute', I got swept away and found myself trapped in this dungeon! Remind me to properly 'thank' your 'boyfriend' for that… Now, if you'll excuse me… I don't want my meal to get cold. I'll deal with you afterwards…" He fixated his gaze on the Fire-type again. _It's a shame I didn't bring any salt…_

"Oh no you won't!" Glace yelled angrily and took a flying leap, firing an Ice Beam mid-air. _So he hasn't encountered Raphi yet… Then he's presumably not in the direction we were heading._

"Pathetic." Of course, Weavile had already expected an attack sooner or later and therefore had no trouble evading it. "Let me show you how it's really done!" Without hesitation, he sprinted forward, extending his right claws into a purple-glowing Night Slash.

As he was about to hit the landing Ice-type, Nina stepped in and wiped that malicious grin off of his face by striking him with Iron Tail.

"AAGH!" The critical hit caused him to be violently flung into the wall, cracking it in the process. Upon impact, he fell onto his knees and spit out blood, barely staying conscious. "You… You… …!" He toppled over and started breathing stertorously. "Wh-… …what a …ch-cheap sh-sho-ot… …!"

"W-Wow Nina, that was impressive! Thanks a lot!"

"You're welcome!" Nidoqueen responded to Glaceon while ignoring the defeated foe's remark. Instead of paying any more attention to him, she looked for Fennekin, quickly locating her peering from behind some rocks.

Once she realised that she had been spotted, the small Pokémon cowered down and squealed: "Gah! P-Please, d-don't eat-t me!"

The Poison/Ground-type calmly approached her, bending down to reassure her. "Don't worry child, we're not here to eat you! You're safe with us… From where are you from? Where are your parents?" She gently picked her up and petted her head.

"M-… My name is Feena… I came here by accident with my friends, b-but we got separated!" She sniffed and wept. "A-And no-ow…!"

"Shh… Don't cry! If you survived this long on your own, I'm sure they are doing fine too! We might even find them on the way out!" Nidoqueen said with a soothing voice. "I'd like to ask… Have you seen a Leafeon by any chance?

"N-No, I haven-EEP!" she yelped as yet another shock caused the structure to tremble, which made them all flinch. "Not-t ag-gain…!"

Nina threw a short glance at the beaten Weavile and then moved her worried gaze onto Glace. "Let's get moving."

…

"Gaah-hah!" Raphi screamed in pain when the ray of ice from Hydreigon's Tri Attack grazed his flank. _Gh! This… This thing…! It's so powerful! His level is way above mine!_ He spit out a mixture of saliva and blood and looked to the side anxiously.  
The group had only been fighting for a couple minutes, yet Delia had already been knocked out, Shane had a sprained ankle and Rio had an open wound on his hip. Furthermore, Raphi was rapidly approaching his own limits as the one-sided battle progressed. _If this goes on… Then I don't think we can make it out alive! The walls are just too thick to crack them from the inside!  
_ Due to his distraction, he missed his cue to jump to the side: When he faced the Dark/Dragon-type again, Leafeon saw that he was coming straight at him with Dragon Rush, sending him flying into the wall.

"Raphi!" Riolu called out, quickly realising that he unintentionally shifted the brutal Pokémon's attention towards him. "O-Oh no..!"

Groaning from the previous hit, the former human managed to get on his feet quiveringly. "G-… G-Get away f-from there!" he shouted in his direction fearfully. _Drat! If I don't do something, he'll get crushed!_ Trying to ignore the steady ache, he dashed forward. Using a rock as a spring board, he leaped onto the terrifying dragon with what little strength he had left.

The sudden weight on Hydreigon's back caused his Hyper Beam to barely miss its target, leaving an astonished Riolu and himself momentarily paralyzed.

"Don't just stand there! Run for it!" he yelled, clawing himself into his opponent's malodorous, tacky black fur. _Ugh… It reeks! Disgusting!_ Since the big creature was still recharging from his previous attack, Raphi carefully aimed slightly under the back of his middle head and hauled off, striking the spot with Quick Attack multiple times. "Hah! Take that! And that! And th-…huh?"  
He looked at his paws in amazement as the sprouts on his forelegs (two on each ankle) started glowing in a bright green colour, bending themselves downwards. _What… What's this?! Is it… a new move?_ Suddenly, the four sprouts bolted down simultaneously, piercing the Hydreigon's neck right before he snapped out of his paralysis. _Is… is that… Giga Drain?_

Roaring loudly, he tried to shake the beige-coloured Pokémon off by flying around with rapid speed and in a wild manner, darting sideways unexpectedly over and over again, yet due to Raphi's anchored Giga Drain, he was unable to shake him off despite his best efforts.

 _S-Sick, a n-new m-move! I'm reg-gaining my e-energy!_ he thought excitedly while the strength slowly returned to his body, even partially healing some of his lesser wounds. _B-But speaking of-f sick…_

The constant and abrupt change of directions caused him to get dizzy, up to a point where he had to retract his sprouts and let go on purpose. _Oh no!_ Upon realising that he forgot to check the distance from him to the ground, he closed his eyes and braced himself for the rough impact on the lithic surface beneath him.

"I've got you!" a voice unfamiliar to the Grass-type shouted.

Instead of hitting the hard terrain, Leafeon was caught by two big, purple hands.

"Wh-What…?" _I didn't…?_ Leafeon batted his eyes and then fully opened them, flinching out of surprise and confusion upon perceiving the Pokémon that the voice belonged to. "Do I k-know you…?"

Nido ignored his question and nodded towards a fissure in the wall that he created from the outside. "Let's get out of here!"


	19. Chapter 19: Escape

"H-Huh?" Raphi stared at the Nidoking in confusion. "Uh… Greetings… … Thank you for catching me, but could you please put me down now?"

"Sure." Nido answered and did as requested. "We can talk later. At the moment… let's focus on the task at hand and-!" Without a warning, he thrusted Leafeon aside, much to his surprise.

"H-Hey! What are you-?!" He immediately shut his mouth as a Hyper Beam blasted a crater into the ground between them, sending slivered pebbles flying in all directions. "Ngh! That was close!"

"I know! So get moving!" he yelled impatiently and started running towards the fissure in the wall he created from the outside.

"Hold on! I can't leave yet, I have to get the children!"

"There are children?!" The Poison/Ground-type received no response: Raphi was already sprinting towards the hiding places of the young Pokémon.

 _I still have some time left before Hydreigon is able to move again!_ "Rio! Shane! Delia! Come with me, quick!"

"Delia's still unconscious, and Shane is unable to run!" Riolu kneeled next to Deerling, petting her head while Shinx licked his wounds. Their eyes widened in fear when Nidoking entered their vision next to Raphi.

"It's okay, he's on our side!"

Due to the adult's clarification, their facial expressions visibly removed a small amount of their tension and only a little amount of scepticism remained.

"Now that this issue's resolved… let's get out of here!" Nido stepped forward, picking up Shane with his right- and Delia with his left hand.  
Raphi gestured Rio to get on his back, but Nidoking stopped him and shook his head. "Not only do you look pretty exhausted, but – no offence - I also don't think that you'd be able to keep him from falling off due to your slender physique as well as being incapable of securing him with your paws."

The former human opened his mouth to object, then closed it again and nodded slowly.  
"Fine…" He looked down at his paws with a sad gaze and thought of a time when they were still hands with five fingers each, completely lacking claws and fur.

After Riolu had climbed on Nidoking's shoulders (with Raphi's aid), they immediately had to move – Hydreigon had recharged and flew in their direction, looking just as aggressive as before.

"Run towards the crack! I'll distract him!" Raphi shouted and sprinted towards the Pokémon that was almost twice his size. "Hey! Hy-uh… Hy-…dra-tion…?" Worst pun ever. "Hydreigon! Over here!"  
In order to attract his attention, he shot multiple Razor Leaves at him.  
His plan bore fruits: The Dark/Dragon-type desisted from pursuing the group of four Pokémon further and instead focused on Leafeon, each head firing a Tri Attack simultaneously.  
 _Huh… I'm actually getting used to running on all fours! …not that I feel any less weird in doing so… At least I'm capable enough to evade his attacks… for now._ He dashed to the left, avoiding both the ray of ice from his left head and the obstacles in his way. Through the clever use of the stalagmites that were scattered across the entire area (the few that were still intact), he managed to shield himself from his fiery breath.  
Unfortunately, the bolt of lightning hit its mark nonetheless – the end of Raphi's leafy tail, to be exact. "Ow! Th-That stupid…!" _This thing is so annoying! I still can't control it! And it appears to attract electricity…_ "Ugh!" He had no time to tend to his (in his opinion) bothersome appendage since the success of his assault only encouraged Hydreigon to try again; this time with Hyper Beam!  
 _Oh-oh._ "Well, here goes nothing!" The Leafeon took a deep breath before pretending a change of direction and charging straight at the surprised dragon.

The unexpected manoeuvre caused Hydreigon to hesitate, keeping him from attacking for a few precious seconds. By the time he was ready to launch his offense, the Grass-type had leaped onto him, evading the attempts of his outer heads to bite him.  
Unable to catch him, he instinctively fired a triple Hyper Beam above him, hoping to hit the resisting intruder – but he had already jumped off of him. Instead, the attack struck the cave's roof.

Raphi stood a few meters away from his foe as the impact trembled the whole structure. He coughed from the dust, but when he looked at the Dark/Dragon-type Pokémon again, his eyes widened and he gasped, being petrified with horror.

Hydreigon was unable to move.  
He was recharging due to his previous attack.  
His three heads were still aimed upward.  
As a result, he had no choice other than watch his own demise.

Hydreigon had only known few emotions in his life: Rage. The lust to kill. Fiendishness. Vengefulness. Pain. Malicious joy.  
But now… in his final moment… he felt a different emotion. An emotion he had never felt before.

The red pupils of his main head scaled down in fear when one of the bigger stalactites above him loosened from the quakes.

As it came crashing down, Raphi quickly turned around. He ducked his head and squinted his eyes while the sharp rock pierced Hydreigon's throat through his open jaw.

The Pokémon's prior soundless scream transformed into a gargling noise from the amount of blood in his skewered mouth.

When his lifeless body sank to the ground, Raphi had already fled and joined up with Nidoking and the children outside the now empty prison.

…

"Wh-What was that?!" Glace shouted, startled by a massive tremble that shook the whole structure. _That was the strongest quake yet!_ "Can we please move faster?" Her face depicted a worried expression – not only because of the very frequent shocks, but also because they ran into multiple dead ends earlier and were now on their way back, still without a clue on Raphi's whereabouts.

"Agreed!" Nina answered and picked up the pace, rushing past artful rock formations next to mighty waterfalls that thinly layered water droplets on them and the surrounding area. The acceleration also seemed to reassure Feena - who was being carried by Nidoqueen -, even though the resulting movement gave her a good shaking in her arms.

 _Where else could he be?!I just hope he's alright… Knowing him, he probably got caught in a fight again!_ The sheer thought made her shudder. _I can't always be there to safe him! Despite his strategic abilities, he is not yet used to battling other Pokémon!_

The group rushed through a twisted passage, past the spot where they encountered Weavile a while ago. He was still lying on the ground where they previously left him, recovering from his injuries.  
"Found your beloved 'boyfriend' yet?" he chuntered annoyingly at their sight. However, the loud noise of the nearby waterfalls drowned his raspy voice out and they continued on their way without noticing the defeated Pokémon's snarky comment.

As they neared the location where they initially split up, Glaceon hastened ahead. Desperately hoping to find a trace of her friend in the direction Nido took, she hurried around the corner without looking who or what awaited her behind it at all.  
As a result, the Ice-type inevitably bumped into a familiar Pokémon, bowling him over and clumsily landing on his stomach while Nidoking stood next to the spectacle with a surprised and confused expression.

"Ouch…" Raphi coughed and rubbed his cheek. "Can't you see where-? H-Huh..?" He opened his eyes and tilted his head, staring Glaceon in the eyes. "G-… Glace?!"

A few seconds passed before she fully processed the situation. "…R-Raphi?" Her vision visibly brightened and her eyes sparkled with joy. "Raphi!" She instantly wrapped her forelegs around his neck and embraced him in a tight hug, causing him to gasp for air. "I'm so glad that I finally found you! I was so worried!" _It's really him! He survived! Yes!_

"Th-… Thanks, I'm happy to see you too…" He mumbled into her fur, turning red slightly and filling his sensitive nose with her scent – but not much oxygen. _She smells like fresh-fallen snow…_

"You have to be more careful!" She continued to snuggle against him, unintentionally hindering his ability to breathe. Speaking with a brittle, anxious yet relieved voice, the female Pokémon whispered: "I-… I was starting to believe that… I would never see you again…" Closing her eyes, she stopped talking and simply enjoyed the moment in bliss.

Raphi stayed silent for a while, quite uncertain how to react to this kind of reunion. When he was about to run out of oxygen, he said: "Gla-ace… I-… can't breathe…! Y-Your fur…! You're… sitting on… me…!"

"…huh?" She lifted her head from his shoulder and stared at him for a moment. After his words sank in, a gasp escaped her lips and she blushed, hastily getting off of him. "Agh! S-Sorry!" Shifting her gaze to the others, she overlooked Nido's thoughtful and serious mien and blushed even more at Nina's meaningful smirk. "I-It's not what it looked like…!"

The female Poison/Ground-type chuckled. "Hehehe, sure… … Anyways, we can talk later! We found who we came for…" She looked over to the reunited group of children that were joyfully hugging their recovered friend. "…and even a few other lost Pokémon! So, let's get out of this scary place!"

With the weight of his friend gone, Leafeon got up slowly and scratched his shoulder. "Yeah, that'd be nice… We've been here long enough…" _What was that all about…? The way she was looking at me… Strange…_ He kept wondering about her behaviour towards him as he followed the others and finally left the Desanding Caves.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

Hey everyone!  
First of all, thank you for reading this chapter!  
I actually rewrote it three times because I was not content with it, that's why it took so long.  
I'll continue writing this story 'til it's finished, no matter how long it takes. But I have certain standards, and I do want to deliver quality work. Therefore, if you have any criticism and some time to spare, please don't hesitate to notify me about it! Thank you!

~Raphiniert


End file.
